Cibrarjp  of  t:b«  t:hcoloo[ical  ^tminavy 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


FROM  THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

REVEREND  CHARLES  ROSENBURY  ERDMAN 
D.D.,  LL.D. 

BX  7260  ,G38  G39  1892 
Gates,  Caleb  Frank,  1857- 

1946. 
A  Christian  business  man 


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CHRISTIAN  BUSINESS  MAN 


BIOGRAPHY    OF 


DEACON   C.   F.   GATES 


BY  HIS  SON    ^    / 

CALEB    FRANK    GATES 


BOSTON   AND   CHICAGO: 

Congregational  Suntrao^Scfjool  anti  ^Publisbing  Soctetg 


Copyright,  1892, 
By  Congregational  Sunday-School  and  Publishing  Society 


Ea  0VLX  iIH0tf)er, 


WHO  WALKED  WITH  OUR  FATHER  FOR  THIRTY-NINE  YEARS 

AND  REJOICED  IN  HIS   LABORS, 

THIS 

SKETCH  IS    DEDICATED  BY 

HER  CHILDREN 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2009  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


http://www.archive.org/details/christianbusinesOOgate 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

1824-1838. 
His  ancestors,  birth,  and  parentage.  —  Childhood.  —  Life  at 
Middletown.  — Aunt   Nancy  Griswold    and    her    training. — 
Church  attendance.  —  Aunt  Nancy's  admonitions 9 

CHAPTER  II. 

1838-1846. 
His  Uncle  Caleb  Gates.  —  Life  on  the  farm  at  East  Haddam. 

—  Sister  Elizabeth.  —  The  district  school.  —  Teaching  school.  — 
Boarding  round.  —  Sister's  counsels.  —  Betrothal.  —  Uniting 
with  the  church.  — Aunt  Nancy's  letters  and  prayers    ...    23 

CHAPTER  III. 

1846. 
He  leaves  the  farm  In  quest  of  employment.  —  Finding  a 
situation.  —  Small  beginnings.  —  His  faithfulness.  —  Promo- 
tion.—Making  friends.  — Reading. —  The  lyceum.  —  Singing 
school. — Keeping  a  journal.  —  Love  of  nature.  — His  mother's 
counsels 38 

CHAPTER  IV. 

1846-1851. 
His  religious  life.  —  Remembering  sermons.  —  Love  of  the 
Sabbath.  — Spiritual  strivings.  —  Christian  service.  —Carrying 

burdens.— Finding  peace 60 

CHAPTER  V. 
1851-1855. 
His  removal   to   new   scenes. — Marriage.  —  Life   in   New 
Haven. —  Activity  in  Christian  work. —Birth  of  a  daughter. 

—  Call  to  Middletown  refused.  —  Going  West.  —  Congrega- 
tionalism in  the  West.  —  The  mission  church.  — The  American 
Car  Works.  — Cholera 62 


6  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

1855-1867. 
The  closing  up  of  the  American  Car  Works.  — Care  for  a 
poor  widow.  —  Entering  into  business.  —  Business  principles. 

—  Failure  in  business.  —  Devotion  to  the  church.  —  The  South 
Congregational  Church.  —  Diligence  in  business. — Public 
spirit  — The  war.  —  Testimony  of  Rev.  W.  B.  Wright.  — His 
care  for  his  pastor       77 

CHAPTER  VII. 
1867-1878. 
His  life  in  Geneva,  Illinois.  — Love  of  the  country.- De- 
votion to  his  family.  —  Service  in  the  village  church.  —  Relations 
towards  his  pastor.  —  Sending  his  sons  to  college. — Return 
to  the  city.  —  His  alert  mind.  —  Relations  to  the  Chicago  The- 
ological Seminary  and  the  First  Congregational  Church. — 
Sickness  and  death  of  his  son  Edward.  —  Giving  a  son  to  the 

ministry 94 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
1878-1881. 
His  interest  in  foreign  missions.  —  Consecrating  a  son  to 
foreign   missions.  —  Aid    to   the    cause.  —  Study    of   foreign 
missions.  —  Addresses  to  the  churches  on  missions.  —  Letters 

to  his  son.—  Prayer  for  missions 109 

CHAPTER  IX. 
1881-1884. 
His  interest  in  home  missions.  —  Branch  churches.  — The 
Randolph  Street  Mission.  —  Sympathy  with  the  poor. — Plans 
for  reaching  the  neglected  classes.  —  His  valuation  of  personal 
service.  —  Beginnings  of  the  Chicago  City  Missionary  Society.— 
Chosen  president  of  the  society.  — His  self-sacrifice  for  the 
work.  —  Plea  for  the   neglected   classes.  —  Addresses  to  the 

churches  on  city  missions       125 

CHAPTER  X. 

1884-1890. 

His  work  for  the  Bohemians.  —  Beginnings  of  the  work  in 

Chicago.  — The  coming  of  Rev.  E.  A.  Adams.— His  study  of 

the   Bohemians. — ^ Personal    service.  —  Broad   views   of   the 

work.  —  Incessant  activity.  —  Bible  study.  —  Sense  of  ill  desert. 

—  Prayer  for  guidance  in  business. — Love  of  the  neglected 
classes.  —  Organization  of  the  Bethlehem  Church.  —  Laid  aside 

by  illness.  —  The  building  of  the  church.  —  Its  dedication  .    .  148 


Contents.  7 

CHAPTER  XI. 

1890. 
The   formation    of    the    Chicago    Congregational    Club.  — 
His  address,  ''  The  Duties  of  Christian   Laymen  to  the  Neg- 
lected Classes."  —  His  last  address  before  the  Club    ....  170 

CHAPTER  XII. 

1890. 
The  return  of  his  missionary  son.  —  The  journey  to  New 
York.  — Sickness. — Death 184 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Memorial  address  of  Rev.  E.  A.  Adams 191 


A  CHRISTIAN  BUSINESS  MAN. 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE   BEGINNINGS   OF   A  LIFE. 

IN  May,  1662,  twenty-eight  men  purchased 
from  the  Indians  a  large  and  valuable  tract 
of  land  lying  on  both  banks  of  the  Connecticut 
River,  about  thirty  miles  from  its  mouth,  and 
known  as  "  Thirty  Mile  Island."  The  proprie- 
tors began  a  settlement  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
river,  and  the  plantation  grew  rapidly.  In  1668 
it  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Haddam, 
which  included  the  present  town  of  East  Had- 
dam, then  known  by  the  Indian  name  of  Mache- 
moodus. 

The  first  settlers  were  for  the  most  part  from 
Hartford,  Wethersfield,  and  Windsor.  One  of 
these  original  proprietors  was  George  Gates,  who 
came  from  Hartford  to  assist  in  founding  the  new 
town.  He  was  born  in  England  in  1634.  There 
is  a  record  in  an  old  Bible  of  the  Gates  family 
which  styles  him  "  the  first  from  England." 
When  the  town  of  Haddam  was  incorporated 
he  was  chosen  as  its  representative  in  the  Colo- 
nial Assembly,  and  served  in  that  capacity  four 


10  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

years  — 1668-73.  Later  he  became  a  captain  of 
militia,  and  was  thenceforth  known  as  Captain 
George  Gates.  In  1685  he  removed  to  the  east 
bank  of  the  river,  and  from  that  time  to  the  pres- 
ent some  of  his  descendants  have  always  been 
found  in  the  town  of  East  Haddam. 

Captain  George  Gates  married  Sarah  Olmsted, 
granddaughter  of  James  Olmsted,  who  came 
from  England  in  1632  and  became  one  of  the 
original  proprietors  of  Hartford.  Her  mother 
was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Loomis,  who  was  one 
of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town  of  Windsor. 
Thus  the  founders  of  the  Gates  family  in  America 
are  numbered  among  the  founders  of  those  towns 
in  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Connecticut  River. 

Caleb  Foote  Gates,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  bore  the  names  of  his  grandfather  and 
grandmother.  His  grandfather  was  Deacon  Caleb 
Gates,  of  East  Haddam,  and  his  grandmother 
was  Esther  Foote,  a  descendant  of  Nathaniel 
Foote,  who  came  from  England  in  1634  and  set- 
tled in  Watertown,  Conn.  Their  children  were 
four  —  Caleb,  Selden,  Russell,  and  Esther. 

Russell  Gates,  the  father  of  Caleb  Foote  Gates, 
was  born  July  16,  1786,  and  died  of  apoplexy 
July  26,  1834,  when  his  son  Caleb  was  ten  years 
old.  In  his  early  manhood  Russell  Gates  was 
known  and  esteemed  as  a  capable  and  respectable 
young  man,  a  worthy  scion  of  the  respectable 
family  into  which  he  was  born.  He  married  a 
widow,  Mrs.  Mabel  Kelsey,  the  daughter  of  George 


The  Beginnings  of  a  Life.  11 

Griswold,  of  Killingworth,  Conn.,  a  union  which 
did  not  prove  in  all  respects  a  happy  one,  not 
from  any  grave  misdemeanors  on  either  part,  but 
from  a  certain  incompatibility  of  temperament 
which  in  time,  by  mutual  consent,  led  to  theii* 
separation.  Mrs.  Kelsey  had  two  children  by  her 
former  husband,  Sophia  and  Cynthia,  and  she 
bore  two  children  to  Russell  Gates  —  Esther 
Elizabeth,  born  September  2,  1821,  and  Caleb 
Foote,  born  April  20,  1824. 

Russell  Gates  removed  from  East  Haddam,  and 
made  his  home  for  a  time  in  the  Highlands,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Hudson  River,  nearly  opposite 
West  Point.  It  was  here  that  his  son  Caleb  was 
born,  and  he  was  christened  in  the  chapel  of  the 
West  Point  Military  Academy. 

Upon  the  breaking  up  of  the  home,  the  little 
girl,  who  was  always  called  by  her  second  name, 
Elizabeth,  went  to  live  with  her  father's  brother 
Caleb  on  a  farm  at  East  Haddam ;  but  the  boy 
was  sent  to  his  mother's  sister,  Nancy  Griswold, 
in  Springfield,  N.  Y.  He  was  then  only  four 
years  old  and  knew  little  of  his  father,  who  died 
six  years  later.  His  mother  lived  nearly  thirty 
years  longer. 

Even  before  this  date  Caleb  seems  to  have  been 
sent  away  from  home  for  a  time,  and  his  infancy 
was  robbed  of  the  sweet  memories  that  should 
cluster  around  that  happy  period  of  life.  In  his 
di'ary  of  December  20,  1848,  commenting  on  a 
ghost  story  which  had  afforded  him  much  amuse- 


12  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

ment,  he  recounts  a  little  of  his  own  experience 
in  childhood  as  follows  :  — 

Owing  to  some  things  peculiar  in  the  situation  of 
our  family,  I  was  early  initiated  into  the  mysteries 
of  "boarding  out."     When  four  years  old  I  went  to 

reside   in   the    family   of    Mrs.    S ,    in   Brooklyn, 

N.  Y.  She  was  a  fine,  matronly  lady  in  reduced  cir- 
cumstances, and  so  obliged  to  pursue  some  daily  avo- 
cation to  sustain  herself  and  her  sick  husband,  who 
died   after   a   long   illness.     After   his  departure  the 

family  consisted  of  Mrs.  S ,  her  two  daughters, 

and  myself.  The  names  of  the  two  daughters  were 
Nancy  and  Melvina,  and  their  employment  "  mantua- 
makiug."  Now  so  long  as  the  mother  was  at  home 
I  had  fine  times,  and  received  every  attention  and 
kindness  to  be  expected  by  one  in  such  a  situation  ; 
but  when  she  left  home  and  the  two  girls  had  the 
ordering  of  my  person,  farewell  to  all  peace  of  mind 
and  rest  of  body.  It  seemed  as  if  they  tortured  their 
brains  for  the  invention  of  some  new  and  strange 
ways  in  which  to  inflict  suffering  on  my  poor  little 
body.  They  used  to  trounce  me  with  the  prunings  of 
the  garden  trees,  hang  me  up  by  my  arms  in  the 
garret,  and  cause  me  to  abstain  from  food  when  a 
crust  of  bread  would  have  been  relished,  and,  worst 
of  all,  they  used  to  scare  me  with  such  horrid  lies 
about  Old  Scratch  as  ought  to  have  blistered  their 
tongues  and  burned  their  cheeks  for  shame. 

I  remember  one  day  in  particular.  It  was  a  glori- 
ous afternoon,  and,  having  escaped  from  the  confine- 
ment of  an  infant  school,  I  frolicked  merrily  along 
the  street  until  a  clay  hole  attracted  ray  attention,  and 


The  Beginnimjs  of  a  Life.  13 

with  my  fellows  I  plunged  in  and  fell  to  making  mar- 
bles of  clay.  Soon  my  sister  chanced  to  pass  by  and 
espied  my  white  head.  Giving  me  a  piece  of  licorice, 
she  told  me  to  go  right  home.  Miss  Nancy  met  me 
at  the  door  and  savagely  demanded  where  I  had  been 
so  long.  In  my  boyish  simplicity  I  told  the  whole 
story,  and,  by  way  of  compensation  for  my  frankness, 
was  ordered  to  go  to  bed  without  my  supper,  and  was 
told  that  Old  Scratch  would  appear  to  me  that  very 
night.  It  is  utterly  impossible  for  me  to  describe  my 
sensations  as  I  stripped  off  my  garments  and  en- 
sconced my  body  in  the  bedclothes.  Long  and  anx- 
iously I  awaited  the  coming  of  his  highness,  and  as 
some  sound  differing  from  the  usual  hum  of  the  city 
was  borne  into  my  chamber  my  heart  would  beat 
wildly  against  its  casement  and  my  respiration  was  of 
the  shortest  kind  imaginable.  At  last  I  perceived 
a  most  awful  figure  entering  the  chamber  door,  shak- 
ing some  iron  chains  and  groaning  out  in  sepulchral 
tones,  "  W-h-e-r-e-'s  t-h-a-t  b-o-y?"  Oh,  the  horrors 
of  that  night !  With  stealthy  tread  the  figure  neared 
my  bedside,  grasped  the  bedclothes,  and  attempted  to 
uncover  me.  For  a  few  seconds  I  clung  to  the  clothes 
with  desperate  energy,  then,  completely  overcome  with 
fright,  I  fainted  and  knew  no  more  until  I  waked 
and  found  it  was  early  dawn.  It  was  almost  twenty 
years  ago,  and  yet  every  trivial  circumstance  is  as 
fresh  before  my  mental  vision  as  if  it  had  happened 
yesterday. 

It  was  probably  this  period  of  his  life  that  he 
had  in  mind  when  he  wrote  to  his  wife  soon  after 
their  marriage,  while  she  was  visiting  the  home  of 


14  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

her  childhood,  illustrating  his  thought  by  an  allu- 
sion to  a  work  of  fiction  whicli  they  had  been 
reading  together :  "  I  trust  that  you  reached  home 
in  safety.  Would  that  I  could  sympathize  with 
you  from  personal  experience  instead  of  mere  ob- 
servation !  Would  to  God  that  it  had  been  mine 
to  have  had  thrown  around  me  in  early  days  some 
such  affectionate  care  and  love  as  Mrs.  Hamil- 
ton's !  How  different  might  I  have  been  in  youth 
and  manhood!  My  nature  was  full  of  warm, 
gushing,  clinging  affection  once ;  but  harsh  and 
deceitful  conduct  on  the  part  of  those  to  whose 
care  I  was  entrusted  soon  dried  up  those  bursting 
springs  and  made  me,  while  yet  in  infancy,  a  cal- 
culating and,  at  times,  a  deceitful  child,  even 
when  my  heart  was  longing  to  make  a  full  dis- 
closure and  receive  a  fond  caress  as  much  as  did 
Ellen's." 

He  always  felt  that  his  life  had  been  shorn  of 
a  grace  which  only  a  happy  infancy  and  the  lov- 
ing ministrations  of  fond  parents  can  give,  and 
the  experience  through  which  lie  had  passed  made 
him  careful  not  to  terrify  children  or  alarm  them. 
Any  attempt  to  frighten  children  into  good  be- 
havior was  sure  to  awaken  his  indignation.  He 
found  a  refuge  from  such  cruel  treatment  in  the 
home  of  his  aunt. 

Nancy  Griswold  was  a  maiden  lady,  living  in 
her  own  house  in  Springfield,  N.  Y.,  and  known 
to  all  the  village  as  Aunt  Nancy  Griswold.  It 
was  to  her  home  that  Caleb  Gates  came  in  1828, 


The  Beginnings  of  a  Life,  15 

when  he  was  only  four  years  old,  and  it  was  to 
her  training  that  he  owed  much  of  the  sterling 
character  which  he  achieved  in  later  years. 

Aunt  Nancy  was  a  woman  of  marked  Christian 
character.  A  few  years  later  she  became  a  great 
sufferer.  A  letter  written  by  EUzabeth  Gates  to 
her  brother,  August  13,  1849,  speaks  of  her  in 
these  words:  "What  a  bodily  sufferer  she  is! 
but  she  always  comes  forth  like  gold  purified  by 
the  fire.  There  is  not  one  of  our  relatives  whose 
character  I  respect  and  esteem  more  than  Aunt 
Nancy's.  We  both  have  much  for  which  to 
thank  her.  Her  counsels  to  me  have  never  been 
forgotten,  and  T  presume  you  prize  her  early 
training  more  and  more  every  year." 

She  was  a  typical  New  England  woman,  some- 
what austere  and  prim,  slow  to  reveal  her  affec- 
tions, but  with  a  very  loving  heart  hidden  under 
this  somber  exterior.  She  never  married,  and  it 
was  perhaps  impossible  for  her  to  know  how  much 
the  little  boy  committed  to  her  charge  longed  for 
some  sign  of  love,  some  fond  caress.  On  one 
occasion  she  did  show  her  affection  for  him. 
After  he  had  been  with  her  for  some  time  he  one 
day  ventured  to  tell  her  of  the  experience  already 
described,  when  he  had  been  so  badly  frightened 
by  some  thoughtless  girls  —  an  experience  which 
had  left  its  impression  on  him,  making  him  timid 
and  afraid  of  darkness,  but  which  he  had  never 
dared  to  relate  to  any  one  before.  To  his  surprise 
tears  filled  his  aunt's  eyes  as  she  listened  to  his 


16  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

tale  and  she  said :  "  You  poor  boy  !  why  did  n't 
you  tell  me  of  this  before?"  and  then  she  gave 
him  a  tender  kiss.  Those  tears  and  that  kiss  were 
treasured  up  in  the  boy's  mind  as  a  very  precious 
memory. 

In  Springfield  Caleb  attended  a  private  school 
taught  by  a  Mr.  Dixon,  and  there  he  received  a 
thorough  training  in  the  elements  of  an  English 
education  and  began  the  study  of  Latin.  Out 
of  school  he  split  wood,  drew  water,  and  ran 
errands  for  his  aunt.  She  did  not  consider  her 
duty  towards  him  finished  when  she  had  sent  him 
to  school,  but  exercised  a  strict  watch  over  him 
and  labored  for  his  improvement,  striving  to  fill 
his  mind  with  good  thoughts  and  to  occupy  his 
time  with  good  books.  That  he  recognized  his 
indebtedness  to  her  for  thus  forming  his  taste  for 
good  reading  appears  from  the  following  record 
in  his  diary  :  — 

February  23^  1849.  — The  day  has  passed  and  I  am 
once  more  at  home  and  happy  among  my  dear  folios. 
Ah,  how  thankful  I  am  that  my  good  aunt  instilled 
into  my  mind  a  love  for  good  reading,  instead  of 
allowing  me  to  spend  the  winter  evenings  among  a 
profane  rabble  from  whom  I  could  have  gained  nought 
save  vice,  and  who  would,  in  all  probability,  have 
stripped  me  of  every  semblance  of  vh-tue  !  It  used 
to  seem  exceedingly  hard  to  be  debarred  from  en- 
gaging in  what  was  termed  innocent  sport  with  my 
schoolmates,  and  many  a  time  did  I  steal  to  the  win- 
dow and  peep  wishfully  through  the  curtains  as  the 


The  Beginnings  of  a  Life.  17 

sleds  whirred  past  the  house  or  the  shouts  of  some 
frolicsome  game  made  the  welkiu  ring  again.  But 
now  I  look  back  and  thank  God  for  the  restraint 
under  which,  through  my  aunt,  he  kept  me,  thus  an- 
swering my  nightly  prayer,  "  Lead  us  not  into  temp- 
tation, but  deliver  us  from  evil."  Verily  it  is  good 
for  the  child  that  he  be  early  taught  the  great  lesson 
of  subjection,  without  which 

"None  knoweth  his  place,  yet  all  refuse  to  serve; 
None  weareth  the  crown,  yet  all  usurp  the  scepter." 

A  pen  picture  of  that  Springfield  home  occurs 
in  his  diary  of  July  27,  1848,  written  at  a  time 
when  his  sister  and  half-sisters  were  there  :  — 

While  gazing  on  this  scene,  my  mind  involuntarily 
flits  to  the  home  of  my  boyhood.  There,  in  the  little 
front  room,  sits  Aunt  Nancy,  sisters  Sophia,  Cyn- 
thia, and,  I  hope,  Elizabeth.  How  calm  and  pleasant 
aunt's  countenance  as  she  talks  of  other  days  when 
I  was  her  boy  and  of  the  friends  of  that  period  now 
scattered  far  o'er  the  surface  of  earth  or  resting  in 
quiet  beneath  it !  Her  brow  still  wears  the  same  quiet 
serenity,  betokening  thoughts  not  so  fanciful  and  gay 
as  encrao;e  the  minds  of  our  misses  and  maidens  of 
this  generation,  but  deep  and  fervent,  freighted  richly 
with  the  weal  of  humanity  and  the  cause  of  our  God. 
Ah,  how  I  would  like  to  creep  slyly  in  and  give  her 
a  buss  before  she  could  utter  a  lecture  on  manners 
and  modesty !  And  those  sisters !  how  pleasantly 
strange  to  see  them  all  together  !  —  a  sight  I  have  not 
witnessed  since  the  days  of  my  infancy.  Even  to 
think  of  this  picture  makes  my  heart  beat  quicker  and 
the  wishes  rise  fast. 


18  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

Aunt  Nancy  required  her  charge  to  read  his 
Bible,  the  Westminster  Catechism,  and  The  Mis- 
sionary Herald.  Every  month  the  missionary 
magazine  was  read  from  cover  to  cover,  not  even 
the  notices  of  contributions  being  omitted.  The 
little  child  and  the  gray-haired  woman  together 
bent  over  open  charts  and  traced  the  onward 
course  of  the  gospel  of  salvation  in  the  world. 
In  this  way  the  kingdom  of  God  became  a  very 
real  thing  to  the  growing  boy,  and  he  acquired 
a  knowledge  of  the  geography  of  the  kingdom 
and  an  interest  in  its  affairs  which  were  never 
lost.  He  dated  his  interest  in  missions  from  the 
lessons  which  he  learned  at  his  aunt's  knee.  His 
aunt  was  poor,  but  she  was  accustomed  to  give 
regularly  to  all  charitable  objects  and  especially 
to  the  cause  of  missions.  In  1838  some  of  her 
neighbors  honored  her  with  a  donation  party. 
Writing  to  her  nephew  of  that  occasion,  she 
said :  — 

My  dear  Son, — I  fancy  you  will  say,  "I  believe 
aunt  is  going  to  receive  this  year  all  she  ever  put  into 
the  treasury  of  the  Lord."  Let  me  tell  you  I  have 
been  led  to  examine  my  motives  in  giving,  and  cannot 
but  hope  that  they  are  such  as  to  secure  a  future 
reward.  I  now  say  to  you  as  I  have  often  said 
before,  It  is  safe  to  do  our  duty. 

Under  Aunt  Nancy's  instructions  her  charge 
learned  to  lay  aside  a  part  of  his  small  earnings 
for  the  work  of  the  gospel ;  and  when  the  time 


The  Beginnings  of  a  Life.  19 

came  to  distribute  what  he  had  thus  accumulated, 
the  question  of  its  use  became  a  very  serious  one 
to  him,  although  the  sum  was  small.  He  felt  that 
he  was  a  steward  of  tliat  money  and  must  put  it 
to  the  best  possible  use ;  and  so  he  made  a  thor- 
ough study  of  the  several  benevolent  societies  of 
the  Congregational  Church,  and  obtained  a  knowl- 
edge of  their  origin,  aim,  and  methods  which  was 
the  basis  of  his  giving  even  in  later  years. 

Under  her  instructions  too  he  formed  the  habit 
of  regular  attendance  on  church  services  and  the 
Sabbath-school.  In  after  years  he  spoke  of  this 
period  of  his  life  in  an  address  to  children,  as 
follows :  — 

AmoDg  the  earliest  memories  of  my  hfe  is  that  of 
an  infant-class  room,  with  its  little  raised  seats,  aad 
pictures  of  Bible  scenes  hung  on  the  walls,  and  from 
the  time  I  was  six  until  I  was  twenty-one  years  old 
I  cannot  remember  more  than  half  a  dozen  Sundays 
when  I  did  not  go  to  church  —  and  those  were  Sun- 
days when  I  was  prevented  by  sickness.  Very  largely 
my  education  came  by  attendance  upon  church  and 
Sunday-school.  Twenty-five  years  of  regular  attend- 
ance upon  church,  with  all  its  precious  privileges,  is 
enough  to  make  any  one  grow  in  grace  and  in  wis- 
dom, and  to  lay  the  foundations  of  a  character  that 
will  win  the  favor  of  God  and  man. 

Such  were  the  influences  surrounding  the  boy- 
hood of  Caleb  Gates.  We  cannot  close  this  chap- 
ter better   than   by   transcribing   some    of    Aunt 


20  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

Nancy's  words  to  her  nephew,  written  after  he 
had  left  her  fireside :  — 

My  dear  Boy^  —  I  have  nothing  new  to  say  to  you 
by  way  of  advice,  but  must  beg  you  to  remember  and 
practice  what  I  have  told  you  before.  Always  act 
from  principle  ;  do  what  is  right,  whatever  sacrifice  of 
feeling  or  apparent  interest  it  may  cost  you.  Look  to 
God  for  strength  to  do  your  duty.  Pray  !  oh,  pray 
that  you  may  be  kept  from  the  follies  and  vices  that 
are  in  the  world  ! 

I  trust  that  you  will  be  very  obedient,  kind,  and 
obhging  to  your  uncle  ;  in  short,  do  all  you  can  to 
promote  his  happiness.  Strive  to  make  all  around 
you  happy  ;  that  is  the  best  way  to  be  happy  yourself. 
A  person  that  is  supremely  selfish  must  be  miserable. 
I  hope  you  will  improve  the  opportunities  you  enjoy 
in  the  best  possible  manner,  and  be  sure  you  improve 
the  heart  as  well  as  the  head.  Cultivate  the  strictest 
moral  principle,  and  beware  of  the  smallest  deviation 
from  what  is  right.  Small  departures  lead  to  greater 
ones,  and  if  your  feet  once  begin  to  sHde  in  the 
downward  course,  you  know  not  where  you  will  stop. 
I  hope  you  will  be  very  particular  about  your  asso- 
ciates. Keep  no  company  except  with  those  who  will 
be  calculated  to  make  you  wiser  and  better ;  be  par- 
ticular about  your  manners,  for  you  know  a  man  who 
possesses  true,  genuine  poUteuess  of  manners  can 
have  more  influence  in  society,  other  things  being 
equal ;  and  by  no  means  choose  for  your  intimate 
friends  those  who  are  low  and  vulgar  in  their  habits. 
Always  treat  the  opinions  of  those  who  are  older  than 
yourself   with  respect,   and  if   in  any  case  you   feel 


The  Beginnings  of  a  Life.  21 

obliged  to  differ  from  them,  do  it  with  all  due  defer- 
ence to  tlieir  age  and  experience. 

Endeavor  to  acquire  the  habit  of  denying  yourself 
in  order  to  promote  the  happiness  of  others.  In  this 
way  you  will  lay  a  permanent  foundation  for  your  own 
happiness,  for  in  my  opinion  the  less  selfish  we  are, 
the  more  happy.  Be  obliging  and  kind  to  every  one, 
but  especially  to  those  with  whom  you  live.  Remem- 
ber the  lessons  I  have  often  given  you  on  this  subject 
and  reduce  them  to  practice,  and,  whatever  else  3^ou 
neglect,  do  not  neglect  the  interests  of  your  soul. 
Everything  else  dwindles  when  compared  to  this.  This 
life  is  exceedingly  short  at  the  longest,  but  eternity  ! 
oh,  the  eternity  that  lies  beyond  this  short  state  of 
probation  !  My  dear  boy,  are  you  preparing  for  that 
dread  eternity  ?  Do  you  feel  that  Jesus  is  your  Friend 
and  will  plead  your  cause  before  the  bar  of  your 
offended  Judge?  Oh,  be  entreated  to  look  well  to 
this  thing  !  The  consequences  of  a  mistake  here  are 
tremendous.  Oh,  seek  the  Lord  with  all  your  heart, 
and  daily  pray  for  grace  to  guide  your  youthful  foot- 
steps !  When  you  write,  tell  me  your  feelings  on  this 
subject  with  the  same  frankness  as  of  old,  for  be 
assured  your  aunt  will  never  cease  to  feel  a  deep 
interest  in  your  temporal  and  spiritual  state.  This 
church  has  appointed  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  and 
six  in  the  evening  as  a  concert  of  prayer  in  the  closet, 
and  you  are  remembered  by  your  aunt  at  these  sea- 
sons. I  do  not  pray  that  you  may  be  rich  or  great 
(as  the  world  estimates  greatness),  but  I  do  pray  that 
you  may  be  good  and  do  good  in  the  world,  that  you 
may  be  kept  from  the  snares  that  beset  your  path 
through  this  world  of  sin,  and  that  the  great  Shep- 


22  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

herd  of  Israel  would  carry  you  as  a  lamb  in  his 
bosom.  Now,  my  dear  boy,  will  you  not  unite  with 
me  at  the  throne  of  grace  at  the  hour  of  six  as  often 
as  possible  ?  If  you  are  obliged  to  be  at  work  some- 
times when  the  hour  comes,  think,  "Now  my  dear 
aunt  has  gone  to  her  chamber  and  she  will  pray  for 
me,"  and  lift  your  heart  to  God  and  ask  him  to  give 
me  a  spirit  of  prayer,  not  only  for  you,  but  for  the 
world  of  rebellious  sinners,  that  they  may  be  brought 
home  to  God. 


CHAPTER   IT. 

THE   FORl^IATION   OF    CHARACTER. 

AUNT  NANCY  was  the  guardian  of  the 
growmg  boy  for  ten  years,  and  then,  in 
1838,  he  went  to  live  with  his  uncle,  Caleb  Gates, 
on  his  farm  at  East  Haddam.  He  went  at  his 
uncle's  request,  accompanied  by  a  promise  that 
he  should  receive  a  college  education  —  a  promise 
which  was  never  fulfilled. 

Caleb  Gates  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  War  of 
1812,  and  could  recollect  many  incidents  of  the 
Revolutionary  War  told  him  by  his  father,  who 
participated  in  it.  He  was  a  hard-working,  close- 
fisted  man,  who  made  little  money  out  of  his 
stony  farm  in  Creek  Row,  but  by  dint  of  the 
strictest  economy  contrived  to  save  a  considerable 
portion  of  his  earnings ;  and  in  this  way,  so  char- 
acteristic of  New  England  farmers,  he  had  gath- 
ered what  was  then  considered  a  fair  competence. 
For  twenty-six  winters  he  had  taught  school,  and 
farmed  it  during  the  summers ;  going  over  the 
same  ground  year  after  year,  both  as  to  education 
and  as  to  culture  of  the  soil.  He  was  not  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church,  but  was  strictly  honest  and 
upright  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellows.  He 
always  attended  church  services  on  the  Sabbath, 
but  did  not  attend  religious  meetings  held  between 

23 


24  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

the  Sabbaths ;  such  meetings  seemed  to  him  a 
needless  interruption  of  the  work  of  the  week. 
He  held  that  the  Sabbaths  were  for  the  observance 
of  religious  duties,  and  the  week  days  for  work. 
"  Six  days  shalt  thou  labour,"  he  was  wont  to  say, 
as  if  that  were  a  statement  of  the  whole  duty  of 
man.  Every  Sabbath  he  would  bring  forth  the 
family  Bible,  read  a  portion  of  Scripture,  and  offer 
prayer ;  but  the  book  was  seldom  opened  during 
the  week  days  following  the  Sabbath.  In  this 
same  Bible  he  was  accustomed  to  mark  the  texts 
of  the  sermons  which  he  heard  from  week  to  week, 
and  to  make  note  of  any  unusual  events. 

His  maiden  sister  Esther  lived  with  him,  but  she 
was  an  invalid,  and  his  cousin  Maria  kept  house 
for  him.  Uncle  Caleb  was  fond  of  talking  about 
self-made  men.  A  self-made  man,  as  he  under- 
stood it,  was  one  who  attained  success  without 
any  help  from  others,  and  he  was  careful  that  his 
nephew's  chances  of  becoming  such  a  man  should 
not  be  marred  by  any  unnecessary  help  from  him. 
Still  he  was  fond  of  his  nephew  and  proud  of  his 
ability.  The  young  man  recorded  his  impressions 
of  his  uncle  in  his  journal :  — 

He  was,  in  many  respects,  a  narrow-minded  man, 
but  this  was  owing  more  to  early  training,  or  lack  of 
training,  than  to  any  natural  deficiency.  He  had  few 
books,  and  those  were  of  a  severely  Calviuistic  cast. 
In  the  course  of  his  early  manhood  he  was  thrown 
under  influences  exactly  the  opposite  of  those  in  whicli 
he  had  been  trained  in  youth,  namely,  Universalistic. 


The  Formation  of  Character.  25 

I  imagine  that  be  never  really  believed  these  tenets, 
but  they  shook  his  faitli  in  the  old  doctrines  of  tlie 
New  England  churches  so  far  that  he  was  considered 
by  many  a  ''  free  thinker." 

The  inliuences  of  this  houseliold  were  quite 
different  from  those  of  the  home  in  Springfield. 
The  home  of  Uncle  Caleb  was  lacking  in  the  peace 
and  the  warm  piety  of  Aunt  Nancy's  cottage. 
Uncle  Caleb  and  Cousin  Maria  had  grown  some- 
what crabbed  in  their  daily  intercourse,  although 
they  were  not  lacking  in  true  affection  for  each 
other. 

During  the  summer  months  young  Caleb  worked 
on  his  uncle's  farm.  His  old  friend,  Mr.  Timothy 
F.  Green,  thus  speaks  of  that  work  :  — 

''  The  first  I  remember  of  him  was  when  he 
came  to  live  with  his  uncle,  Caleb  Gates,  in  Creek 
Row.  He  was  a  boy  of  fourteen  years.  The 
prospects  before  him  were  anything  but  encourag- 
ing. The  farm  was  small  and  not  highly  produc- 
tive ;  in  fact,  the  only  thing  in  sight  was  hard 
work  and  small  pay.  Uncle  Caleb  was  a  good 
man,  no  doubt,  but  he  had  no  sympathy  with  a 
young  man  who  Avanted  to  do  something  better  on 
the  farm  than  had  ever  been  done  before.  The 
old  way  was  good  enough  for  him;  but  '3'oung 
Caleb,'  as  we  then  called  him,  was  determined  to 
improve  whatever  he  took  hold  of  ;  and  the  work 
of  strong  hands,  backed  by  a  willing  spirit,  soon 
began  to  show  itself  on  the  farm.     The  barn  was 


26  A  Christian  Business  Mem. 

repaired ;  the  stone  fences  were  straightened  up ; 
trees  were  set  out.  Some  people  are  yet  living 
who  can  remember  the  row  of  quince  trees  which 
Caleb  F.  Gates  planted.  They  grew  to  be  fine 
bearing  trees ;  but  have  long  since,  like  the  old 
uncle  and  aunt,  passed  away,  having  finished  their 
work  in  this  life.  The  general  improvement  was 
a  subject  of  remark  among  the  neighbors,  and 
established  the  young  man  in  public  favor." 

With  much  that  was  hard  and  cheerless  in  this 
life  on  the  farm,  there  were  also  gentler  and 
brighter  influences.  For  a  few  years  Caleb  Gates 
enjoyed  the  companionship  and  sympathy  of 
his  sister  Elizabeth,  who  was  still  a  member  of 
their  uncle's  household.  She  afterwards  went 
to  Housatonic,  Mass.,  at  the  earnest  entreaty  of 
her  most  intimate  friend,  Elizabeth  Clark.  Upon 
her  marriage  to  Mr.  Albert  Whitmore,  of  Housa- 
tonic, she  desired  Elizabeth  Gates  to  share  her 
new  home  and  be  her  companion. 

Elizabeth  was  nearly  three  years  older  than 
lier  brother  Caleb,  and  was  a  girl  of  very  lovely 
Christian  character.  Her  sisterly  love  for  him 
was  mingled  with  a  motherly  care,  even  in  their 
childhood.  Her  affection  for  her  brother  and 
tender  solicitude  for  his  welfare  are  manifested  in 
lines  written  to  him  February  23,  1845 :  — 

I  love  to  thuik  of  those  days  of  infancy,  when  we 
were  all  in  all  to  each  other,  when  your  head  rested  on 
my  bosom  in  quiet  slumber,  and  my  kiss  and  caress 


The  Formation  of  Character.  27 

were  sufficient  to  heal  all  the  little  troubles  and  many 
of  the  big  ones ;  but  you  were  too  young  to  recollect 
those  days.  You  do  not  know  how  much  pleasure 
your  letters  afford  me  now.  Remember  that  I  am  far 
from  home,  far  from  friends  dearly  loved,  and  never 
greeted  by  my  brother's  cheerful  voice,  and  never  is  a 
lonely  hour  divested  of  its  sadness  by  his  smile  ;  and 
thus  it  has  ever  been.  In  infancy  we  were  together 
and  loved  each  other  with  all  the  ardor  of  which  our 
young  hearts  were  capable  ;  then  came  separation  and 
its  blighting  effects.  At  East  Haddam  we  again  en- 
joyed each  other's  society  long  enough  to  revive  the 
tlame,  only  to  be  parted  again.  Oh,  what  a  sweet 
thought  that  there  will  be  no  parting  in  heaven  —  no 
tears,  no  sighs,  no  sounds  of  discord  —  all  harmony 
and  praise  ! 

Do  you  not  find,  my  dear  brother,  that  the  moment 
you  cease  praying  you  go  far  astray?  Often  when  I 
feel  very  much  perplexed  aud  do  not  know  what  to 
do,  memory  turns  to  that  sweet  interview  on  the  hill. 
Dear  place  !  how  often  do  I  wish  I  were  there  !  Then, 
as  I  knelt  by  your  side  with  naught  but  the  canopy  of 
heaven  to  o'erspread  us  and  the  book  of  nature  open 
before  us  —  then  and  there  did  I  feel  the  soothing 
influence  of  prayer.  I  was  strengthened ;  my  duty 
seemed  plainer,  and  I  felt  willing  and  able  to  under- 
take the  task  of  performing  it.  Ever  shall  I  remem- 
ber my  brother's  sympathy  and  support  at  that  time, 
and  it  will  bind  him  still  nearer  to  my  heart. 

The  brother  and  sister  never  lived  together 
again,  after  the  separation  at  East  Haddam,  until 
they  reached  the  heavenly  home. 


28  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

In  the  winter  months  young  Caleb  attended  the 
district  school.  His  impressions  of  that  school 
are  recorded  in  his  diary  of  November  10,  1848 : 

Confined  as  I  had  been  under  the  guardianship  of 
Aunt  Nancy,  "  queen  of  maids,"  there  was  all  the 
luxury  a  fatted  calf  feels  when  turned  out  to  exercise, 
in  running,  roaming,  studying,  skating,  and  visiting 
when  and  where  I  would.  Up  to  that  time  I  had  been 
under  a  disciplinary  regime,  but  with  the  good-by  of 
my  aunt  I  was  free.  Yes  ;  fourteen  and  free  !  Used 
to  an  academic  thoroughness  in  everything,  the  leeway 
of  the  district  school  was  fine,  and  the  way  I  wrote 
pretty  lines  for  fair  maidens  on  the  other  side  of  the 
schoolroom  and  sketched  hands  and  hearts  for  their 
special  consideration  was  anything  but  prosperous  for 
me  in  the  science  of  mathematics.  And  then  those 
fairy  trippings  round  the  old  trembling  stove  to  the 
tune  of  "Green  grow  the  rushes,  oh!"  And  those 
short,  sharp,  electric  smacks,  which  caused  such 
strange  vibrations  among  the  nerves  of  all  new  begin- 
ners —  how  vividly  do  I  see  them  all ! 

Three  years  later  he  reviewed  the  same  period 
as  follows :  — 

At  fourteen  I  went  to  uncle's,  pleased  with  the  idea 
of  release  from  books  and  engaging  in  the  training  of 
colts  and  cattle.  Uncle  is  a  peculiar  man,  and  in  some 
points  a  very  small  one.  He  saw  I  had  some  talent, 
and,  compared  with  the  boys  of  the  neighborhood,  not 
a  little  mental  advancement ;  so  he  concluded  that  I 


TJic  Formation  of  Character.  29 

would  learn  enough  in  a  poor  district  school  to  answer 
all  my  purposes,  and  there  he  sent  me.  From  my 
entrance  there  I  date  a  retrograde  course.  I  was 
naturally  vain,  and  my  decided  superiority  to  the  rest 
of  the  school  llattered  my  vanity  while  it  strengthened 
habits  of  indolence  by  rendering  it  unnecessary  for 
me  to  make  much  exertion  to  keep  up  with  my  classes. 
The  winter  was  fooled  away  and  summer  came  with 
its  toils,  and  I  struggled  through  with  it  after  a  fashion. 
Another  winter  came,  and  now  thoughts  of  the  fu- 
ture flashed  upon  my  mind,  making  me  ashamed  of  my 
neglect  in  times  past.  A  select  school  was  started.  I 
persuaded  my  uncle  to  let  me  attend,  and  after  many 
reiterations  of  his  old  saws  about  men  becoming  men 
in  spite  of  obstacles  if  they  only  had  manliness 
enough  within  them,  he  consented.  That  winter  I 
studied  hard  and  gained  somewhat,  or  rather  regained, 
for  at  the  end  of  the  winter  I  was  actually  not  much 
farther  advanced  in  some  branches  than  when  I  left 
Mr.  Dixon's  school  in  Springfield.  The  next  winter 
too  I  studied  hard,  to  Mr.  Griswold's  satisfaction 
and  my  own  profit ;  but  on  the  return  of  the  next  win- 
ter I  took  what  seemed  to  me  a  false  step.  My  desire 
was  to  go  to  Brainard  Academy,  or  some  other  good 
school,  and  get  the  elements  of  a  thorough  education  ; 
and  then,  I  thought,  I  could  go  on  and  perfect  it  by 
degrees.  My  uncle  decided,  on  considerations  of 
dollars  and  cents,  that  1  must  teach  school,  and  so  be 
earning  something.  I  protested,  declaring  that  1  was 
no  more  fit  to  teach  school  than  a  mule,  and  that  I 
ought  to  learn  more  of  the  rudiments  myself  first. 
His  will,  of  course,  prevailed,  and  in  IMillington, 
Northeast,  1  launched  my  pedagogical  bark  upon  the 


30  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

troubled  sea  of  a  teacher's  experience.  How  many 
dark  hours  I  passed  in  that  old  schoolhouse,  with  its 
oaken  stools,  its  cracked  stove,  its  rents  and  fissures 
through  which  the  winds  and  storms  kept  up  a  free 
circulation  of  air  and  snow  and  rain  !  And  then  that 
"  boarding  round  "  !  How  often  did  my  heart  sink 
within  me  at  the  thought  of  exploring  some  new  region 
and  making  myse4f  agreeable  to  some  new  family ! 
But  I  lived  through  it,  and  taught  the  second  winter 
in  the  same  place,  and  the  next  winter  in  Deep  River, 
for  which  I  was  not  at  all  fitted. 

The  fourth  winter  I  had  learned  somewhat  in  the 
bitter  school  of  experience,  and  so  accomplished  more 
in  my  mission  as  a  teacher.  But  how  poorly  did  these 
intellectual  tasks  and  the  visions  of  the  winter  fit  me 
for  the  wearying  toils  and  dull  routine  of  the  farm !  I 
was  not  contented.  I  felt  that  I  must  be  either  one 
thing  or  the  other,  that  half  schoolmaster  and  half 
farmer  was  not  the  way  to  do  it. 

The  places  in  which  he  taught  school  were  five 
or  six  miles  distant  from  his  uncle's  farm,  to  which 
he  returned  every  Saturday  afternoon.  On  Mon- 
day morning  he  would  set  out  early  for  his  school, 
in  order  to  get  there  in  time  to  light  the  fires 
and  sweep  out  the  room  before  his  scholars 
should  arrive.  He  generally  walked  this  dis- 
tance, and  often  when  the  snow  lay  deep  upon 
the  yet  unbroken  roads. 

During  his  first  term,  his  sister  wrote  to  him  the 
following  cheering  letter  :  — 


The  Formation  of  Character.  31 

New  York,  December  29,  1842. 
My  dear  Brother^  —  If  you  are  in  school,  I  pre- 
sume you  often  go  from  your  schoolroom  tired  in  body 
and  worried  in  mind,  feeling  that  you  would  like  to  be 
alone  and  commune  with  your  own  heart ;  and  instead 
of  this  quiet  you  are  obliged  to  make  yourself  socia- 
ble and  agreeable  through  a  long  winter's  evening. 
Perhaps  yo^L  are  never  thus  troubled,  but  your  spirits 
always  keep  the  same  even  temperament,  let  come 
what  will.  I  wish  it  might  be  so  with  you,  but  should 
it  be  otherwise,  remember  you  have  your  sister's  sym- 
pathy, for  I  know  by  sad  experience  how  to  pity  you. 
But,  let  me  add,  some  of  the  happiest  hours  of  ray 
life  have  been  passed  in  the  schoolroom,  when  left 
alone  at  the  close  of  the  day,  with  naught  to  disturb 
the  quietude.  'T  is  then  I  have  sought  forgiveness, 
guidance,  and  direction  from  my  God,  and  found  sweet 
consolation  in  prayer.  Oh,  how  should  our  hearts  be 
poured  out  in  thankfulness  that  we,  poor  guilty  worms 
of  the  dust,  have  a  Father  in  heaven  that  will  hear 
and  answer  us  if  we  do  but  seek  him  aright !  And 
how  important  it  is  that  we  should  keep  near  to  God, 
and  constantly  strive  to  hold  our  hearts  in  subjection 
to  our  Maker  !  Elizabeth. 

He  began  to  teach  in  1841,  when  he  was  seven- 
teen years  old.  There  is  still  in  existence  the 
certificate  given  him  by  Mr.  Octavius  Emmons, 
his  last  teacher  in  East  Haddam.  It  reads  as 
follows  :  — 

This  certifies  that  Caleb  F.  Gates  is  a  young  man  of 
good  moral  character  and  industrious  habits.     He  has 


32  A  Christian  Busmess  Man. 

attended  my  school  during  the  past  winter.  His  dili- 
gence and  close  application  to  his  studies  merit  much 
praise,  and  I  can  cheerfully  recommend  him  as  well 
qualified  to  teach  a  common  district  school,  and  think 
he  may  profitably  be  employed  in  that  business. 

To  this  was  appended  the  high-sounding  certifi- 
cate of  the  Visiting  Committee :  — 

Having  a  desire  to  encourage  the  youth  of  the  rising 
generation  in  the  pursuit  of  Learning,  Virtue,  and 
Good  Morals,  and  considering  Encouragement  the  life 
of  Action,  and  a  Good  Name  rather  to  be  chosen  than 
Great  Wealth,  and  having  knowledge  of  the  facts 
stated  by  Mr.  Emmons,  we  most  cheerfully  give  our 
assent  to  the  above  statement  made  by  his  instructor. 

In  the  spring  following  his  first  term  of  teach- 
ing, he  received  a  letter  from  his  sister  from  which 
something  may  be  inferred  as  to  his  success  in 
teaching  and  in  laboring  for  the  conversion  of  his 
scholars :  — 

Dear  Brother^  —  I  can  rejoice  with  you  in  the  bless- 
ing the  Lord  has  poured  out  upon  your  school  the  past 
winter.  What  a  consolation  to  see  those  under  our 
care  walking  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord  and  choosing  the 
pearl  of  great  price  in  the  days  of  their  youth !  I 
trust  you  will  continue  faithful,  looking  to  God  for 
direction  and  strength.  A  teacher's  situation  is  truly 
a  responsible  one,  if  we  view  it  as  we  should.  We 
ought  always  to  bear  in  mind  that  those  under  our 
charge  have  immortal  souls,  and  that  we  must  one  day 
give  an  account   for   the   manner   in  which  we   have 


The  Formation  of  Character,  33 

labored  for  their  salvation.  Oh,  that  we  ma)'  ever 
walk  in  Wisdom's  ways,  and  be  enabled  to  teach  her 
precepts  to  all  who  may  feel  our  influence  ! 

Elizabeth. 

A  little  later  she  wrote  again  :  — 

I  feel  truly  glad  for  your  success  in  teaching  the 
past  season.  In  every  situation  we  must  not  forget 
to  ascribe  the  glory  and  honor  to  our  heavenly  Father, 
remembering  that  of  ourselves  we  are  nothing ;  and 
unless  we  are  continually  supplied  with  grace  and  up- 
held by  the  wisdom  of  God,  we  shall  fail,  however 
sure  we  may  feel  in  our  own  strength.  I  feel  that  it 
is  a  great  work  to  live  the  life  of  a  Christian,  to  take 
up  the  cross  daily,  and  to  so  live  that  men  may  take 
knowledge  of  me  that  I  have  been  with  Christ :  but  it 
is  my  earnest  prayer  that  I  may  be  guarded  and  guided 
and  kept  from  all  evil,  seen  and  unseen,  and  may  you, 
likewise,  my  dear  brother. 

Mr.  Gates'  life  in  East  Haddam  was  marked  by 
two  events  which  had  much  to  do  with  the  shap- 
ing of  his  life.  It  was  there  that  he  became  en- 
gaged and  that  he  united  with  the  church. 

Just  when  his  friendly  interest  in  Mary  Eliza 
Hutchins  ripened  into  love  and  was  avowed  in  a 
betrothal  we  cannot  say ;  it  is  a  question  whether 
the  awakening  that  took  place  in  the  mind  of  the 
schoolboy,  and  the  thoughts  of  the  future  which 
spurred  him  to  more  diligent  application,  were 
not  the  result  of  a  kindling  affection  for  a  little 
maiden  who  was  the  best  scholar  in  the  school. 


34  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

However  that  may  be,  when  Caleb  F.  Gates  left 
East  Haddam  there  was  a  very  good  understand- 
ing between  him  and  the  maiden  of  his  choice, 
and  the  desire  for  a  home  was  one  of  the  motives 
which  was  prompting  him  to  seek  to  win  his  way 
in  the  world. 

The  love  of  these  two  for  each  other  was 
strengthened  and  purified  by  their  mutual  love 
for  Christ,  which  was  manifested  in  open  profes- 
sion at  about  the  same  time.  The  foundations  of 
Mr.  Gates'  Christian  character  were  doubtless  laid 
under  the  instructions  of  his  Aunt  Nancy,  while 
he  was  living  with  her  in  Springfield.  The  seed 
sown  at  that  time  slowly  ripened  into  convictions 
which  led  him  to  make  open  profession  of  his 
faith  in  Christ  by  uniting  with  the  church  July  4, 
1841,  in  company  with  his  sister  Elizabeth  and 
twenty-three  others.  Mary  Eliza  Hutchins  had 
united  with  the  church  at  the  previous  commun- 
ion. This  ingathering  was  the  result  of  a  series  of 
revival  meetings.  In  the  old  family  Bible,  Uncle 
Caleb  marked  the  text  of  the  discourse  deliv- 
ered on  that  occasion  by  the  pastor,  Rev.  Isaac 
Parsons  :  "  Our  heart  is  not  turned  back,  neither 
have  our  steps  declined  from  thy  way  "  (Ps.  44: 
18).  And  Elizabeth  Gates  thus  recalls  that  event 
in  a  letter  written  to  her  brother  seven  years  later : 

East  Haddam  is  not  the  pleasantest  place  in  the 
world,  but  'tis  still  home  to  me,  and  ever  will  be.  I 
have    the   recollections  of    childhood    to    endear   that 


The  Formation  of  Character,  35 

place  to  me,  which  you  have  not ;  but  there  are  some 
ties  which  we  both  have  in  unison.  Our  uncle  we 
both  love  and  respect ;  the  dependence  and  obligation 
rest  more  upon  myself  than  upon  you.  It  was  in  that 
place  that  we  stood  side  by  side  and  took  upon  us  the 
vows  of  Christ's  visible  Church.  How  sacredly  those 
vows  have  been  kept  our  heavenly  Father  alone  knows 
—  mine  but  imperfectly.  Were  I  judged  according  to 
my  works,  there  would  be  no  hope  for  me.  There, 
too,  is  the  grave  of  our  father  —  there  will  he  sleep 
until  tlie  resurrection  morn  ;  but  where  shall  we  be, 
and  what  shall  be  the  meeting  between  the  members 
of  our  family?  Will  it  be  still  a  divided  family?  O 
Father,  grant  it  otherwise  ! 

When  he  began  to  teach  school,  Caleb  Gates 
carried  with  him  the  Christian  principles  he  had 
thus  openly  professed  ;  and  in  after  years  he  often 
looked  back  on  that  period  of  his  life  with  great 
pleasure  because  of  the  scholars  who  found  Christ 
through  his  labors  for  them. 

In  this  Christian  work  he  was  remembered  and 
aided  by  the  same  good  woman  who  had  watched 
over  him  in  his  boyhood.  His  Aunt  Nancy  still 
watched  over  him  and  counseled  him  while  he 
was  teaching  school.     She  wrote  :  — 

I  do  rejoice  that  you  feel  your  need  of  assistance  to 
enable  you  to  discharge  your  duty  in  a  manner  that 
will  be  acceptable  both  to  God  and  to  your  employers. 
You  may  be  assured  that  you  are  not  forgotten  by  your 
aunt  at  the  throne  of  grace.  And,  Caleb,  I  have  felt 
too  deeply  the  responsibilities  of  a  teacher,  even  of  a 


36  A  Chrhtian  Business  Man. 

small  school,  not  to  pi:ay  for  one  in  whose  success  and 
usefulness  I  feel  the  deepest  interest.  Continue  to 
look  to  God  for  aid,  and  ever  cultivate  a  deep  sense 
of  your  dependence  on  him.  We  are  told  that  it  is  the 
blessing  of  the  Lord  that  makethrich,  and  it  is  equally 
true  that  it  is  his  blessing  which  makes  useful  and 
happy.  I  have  often  thought  that  young  people  were 
generally  disposed  to  undervalue  their  influence.  Now 
the  truth  is  we  do  exert  a  powerful  influence  on  the 
community  in  which  we  live,  whether  we  will  or  not ; 
how  important,  then,  that  we  bring  our  influence  to 
bear  on  the  right  side  !  I  once  heard  the  remark  that 
our  influence,  so  far  as  it  went,  was  to  make  others 
just  like  ourselves.  What  a  powerful  motive  to  effort 
to  be  what  we  should  be  ! 

I  wish  you  to  cultivate  a  deep  sense  of  the  value  of 
time  ;  try  to  improve  every  moment  to  some  good  pur- 
pose. Read  your  Bible  much.  I  believe  it  is  a  great 
fault  common  to  most  young  people  of  the  present 
day,  even  to  those  who  are  pious,  that  they  neglect 
their  Bibles  too  much.  In  forming  a  consistent  Chris- 
tian character,  there  is  no  book  like  the  Bible.  It 
gives  me  great  pleasure  to  see  that  you  appreciate  my 
feeble  efforts  to  instruct  3'ou  in  the  good  way  when 
you  were  young.  Believe  me,  my  dear  boy,  many  are 
the  hours  of  tender  anxiety  I  have  had  for  you,  and 
yet  since  you  have  been  away  from  me  I  have  often 
had  an  almost  overwhelming  sense  of  my  failure  in  the 
full  discharge  of  my  duty  towards  you.  I  hope  you 
will  profit  by  the  little  I  did,  and  forgive  me  what  I 
neglected  to  do.  I  hope  you  will  make  great  effort  to 
be  spiritually  minded.  Set  your  standard  high,  and 
feel  that,  with  the  help  of  God,  you  can  make  great 
attainments  in  piety  and  usefulness. 


The  Formation  of  Character,  37 

As  I  have  often  told  you  before,  so  I  tell  you  again, 
Always  act  from  iirincqile.  Never,  from  the  impulse  of 
feeling,  do  what  your  best  judgment  does  not  approve. 
Being  wildly  led  by  the  passions  has  been  the  ruin  of 
thousands  of  young  men.  Therefore  I  beg  you  will 
be  on  your  guard  ;  when  contemplating  any  particular 
course  of  conduct  ask  yourself,  not  whether  it  will  be 
popular,  not  whether  it  will  be  for  your  worldly  inter- 
est or  emolument,  but,  Is  it  right?  Will  God  approve 
it?  I  have  never  prayed  that  you  might  make  a  great 
display  in  the  world,  but  I  have  prayed  hundreds 
of  times  that  you  might  be  a  consistent  Christian,  a 
man  of  integrity  and  uprightness,  one  whose  influence 
might  be  for  good  in  the  church  and  community ;  and 
so  I  will  continue  to  pray,  the  grace  of  God  helping 
me,  and  I  hope  1  may  not  be  disappointed. 

Those  who  knew  Mr.  Gates  in  the  last  years  of 
his  life,  and  in  the  ripeness  of  his  Christian  char- 
acter, will  read  these  words  with  almost  a  sense  of 
awe,  as  if  standing  in  the  presence  of  one  who 
has  wrestled  with  God  and  prevailed,  so  exactly 
does  her  prayer  seem  to  mirror  the  character 
afterwards  achieved  by  him  for  whom  she  prayed. 
A  lonely  woman,  in  a  qniet  little  town,  by  her 
prayers  is  molding  the  lives  of  many  whom  she 
never  knew ;  and  we  see  her  counsels  embodied 
in  the  character  of  the  boy  who  was  committed  to 
her  faithful  keeping. 


CHAPTER   III. 

STARTING   OUT   IN   LIFE. 

SO  long  as  he  was  in  his  minority,  Caleb  Gates 
served  his  uncle  faithfully,  considering  that 
he  was  under  obligation  to  do  so ;  but  as  soon  as 
he  attained  his  majority  he  felt  that  it  was  equally 
his  duty  to  seek  larger  opportunities  for  his  own 
advancement  and  usefulness.  Mr.  Green  says  of 
this  period : — 

Then  another  move  must  be  made.  The  boy  had 
attained  his  majority  and  must  strike  out  for  himself. 
The  old  uncle  thought  that  the  farm  would  give  him 
a  livino-  and  that  it  was  danoerous  to  venture  into 
untried  paths,  but  the  boy  knew  that  something  must 
be  done.  There  were  a  mother  and  a  sister  looking  to 
him  for  a  future  home  and  support,  and  he  could  not 
see  how  the  old  farm  would  do  it ;  and  then,  he  was 
not  content  to  spend  his  life  as  a  mere  Creek  Row 
farmer.  He  had  begun  to  buy  books,  and  had  ac- 
quired a  taste  for  reading  and  study.  Something 
must  be  done  !  Saturday  night,  after  he  had  come 
home  from  this  half -day  school,  generally  found  him 
at  the  old  brick  store,  and  there  in  the  countingmom 
the  question  of  what  to  do  was  often  talked  over  and 
fully  discussed.  He  liad  what  Andrew  Carnegie,  the 
rich  iron  king,  calls  the  three  requisites  for  success, 
namely,  "  pluck,  perseverance,  and  poverty."     He  had 


Starting  Out  in  Life.  39 

them  all,  and  the  result  was  just  exactly  as  Carnegie 
said. 


He  left  the  farm  April  1,  1846,  and  went  to 
Middletown  by  boat.  He  arrived  there  early  in 
the  morning  with  only  a  small  sum  of  money  in 
his  pocket,  knowing  no  one  to  whom  he  could 
turn  for  assistance.  As  soon  as  the  stores  were 
opened  he  went  from  one  to  another  asking  for 
employment.  At  last  he  obtained  a  situation  in 
the  dry  goods  store  of  Griswold  &  Smith.  He  was 
to  receive  $200  per  year,  with  permission  to 
sleep  in  the  store.  These  terms  having  been 
agreed  upon,  he  went  back  to  East  Haddam,  ob- 
tained his  trunk,  brought  it  from  the  boat  to  the 
store  on  his  shoulder,  and  entered  at  once  upon 
the  duties  of  his  new  employment. 

In  accepting  this  offer,  with  the  small  salary 
attached  to  it,  he  was  only  acting  upon  principles 
which  in  after  years  he  commended  to  a  friend 
who  was  not  willing  to  accept  any  situation  unless 
it  brought  him  the  compensation  wliich  he  thought 
he  deserved  for  his  services.  "Now,  my  friend," 
wrote  Mr.  Gates,  "  I  feel  that  you  have  greatly 
erred.  I  should  have  taken  anything  that  would 
have  given  me  a  bare  living,  and  then,  once  at 
work,  1  should  have  been  proving  to  those  around 
me  that  I  was  not  only  not  ashamed  of  work,  but 
was  able  to  do  more  than  was  required  of  me. 
You  want  right  oft'  what  time  alone  can  bring.  I 
worked  five  years  for  less  than  $500  when  I  knew 


40  A  Christian  Bumiess  Man. 

that  I  was  worth  more ;  but  I  would  have  worked 
for  |5200  rather  than  be  out  of  employment  for 
a  day." 

In  his  journal  Mr.  Gates  recorded  his  thoughts 
as  he  looked  back  upon  his  start  in  life :  — 

It  is  no  small  thing  for  a  young  man  to  launch  his 
untried  bark  upon  the  ocean  of  life,  with  no  knowledge 
of  the  shoals  and  rocks,  and  but  a  few  shillings  ven- 
ture money  !  It  may  seem  quite  romantic  when  we 
read  of  it  or  hear  of  it,  or  when  we  look  at  it  from 
a  distance  ;  but  when  you  come  to  the  real  bona  fide 
voyage  the  azure  hues  depart.  The  rich  may  read  and 
laud  the  winners,  but  the  thousands  that  go  down ! 
Who  sings  their  ruin  or  drops  a  single  tear  ? 

He  wrote  again  on  this  theme  November  28, 
1852,  soon  after  coming  to  New  Haven  :  — 

I  have  been  perusing  a  little  Sabbath-school  book 
entitled  "Frank  Harper  ;  or.  The  Country  Boy  in 
Town,"  and  it  has  not  only  brought  up  vividly  before 
me  some  sad  days  in  my  own  experience,  and  the 
trials  to  which  I  was  exposed  during  the  first  years  of 
my  semi-city  life,  —  those  hours  of  great  loneliness, 
when  amid  strangers  I  was  sometimes  sorely  tempted, 
—  but  it  has  also  set  me  to  thinking  of  the  situation 
of  thousands  of  young  men  at  this  present  moment. 
There  are  many  young  men  in  this  city,  following  the 
various  pursuits  of  life,  who  are  as  destitute  of  prof- 
itable acquaintances  as  I  was,  and  who  are  tempted 
every  day  more  mightily  than  I  was.  Some  of  these 
young  men  come  from  pious  families  in  the  country, 


Starting  J  Out  in  Life.  41 

where  they  have  been  used  to  hear  the  voice  of  prayer 
morning  and  evening,  and  have  been  reguhir  attend- 
ants upon  the  worship  of  the  sanctuary  and  students 
of  tlie  Word  of  God.  They  have  brothers  and  sisters 
at  home  amid  whose  endearments  the  days  of  cliild- 
hood  and  youth  have  passed  quickly  and  joyously. 
They  have  been  accustomed  to  sympathy,  and  have 
never  known  the  want  of  a  listening  ear  or  words 
of  comfort  in  their  griefs  and  trials  ;  but  now,  how 
changed  their  lot !  Jhey  are  thrown  into  a  board- 
ing house,  among  hardened  sinners,  it  may  be,  or  care- 
less trillers,  or,  perhaps,  youths  like  themselves,  in  all 
but  the  keen  regrets  at  loss  of  home  influences,  wliich 
in  them  have  been  dulled  by  time  and  new  pursuits. 

The  experiences  of  those  days  gave  him  a  very 
tender  sympathy  with  young  men  placed  in  simi- 
lar circumstances,  and  he  was  always  glad  of  an 
opportunity  to  help  them. 

In  his  new  situation,  it  was  his  duty  to  take 
down  the  shutters  in  the  morning,  light  the  fires, 
and  sweep  out  the  store,  hi  order  to  find  time 
for  study  he  was  accustomed  to  rise  at  four  o'clock 
and  do  his  work  ;  then  he  would  sit  down  with  his 
books  until  the  business  of  the  day  opened.  Now 
there  was  a  merchant  in  Middletown  —  Mr.  At- 
kins—  who  prided  himself  on  having  his  store 
open  before  any  one  else  on  the  street.  Soon 
after  Caleb  Gates  began  his  service  wdth  Griswold 
&  Smith,  Mr.  Atkins  noticed  that  their  store  was 
open  before  his  own,  and  he  took  note  of  the  fact 
that  they  had  a  new  clerk;  but  he  said  to  him- 


42  A  Chrlstiaii  Business  Man, 

self,  "  A  new  broom  sweeps  clean,"  and  waited, 
expecting  to  see  a  falling  off  in  promptness  as 
time  passed  by.  In  this  he  was  disappointed  ; 
Griswold  &  Smith's  store  was  still  opened  early 
every  morning  as  regularly  as  clockwork.  The 
new  clerk,  all  unconscious  that  he  was  being 
watched,  applied  himself  to  his  work  and  was 
growing  steadily  in  tlie  estimation  of  new  friends 
and  acquaintances,  whom  he  met  in  different 
places  where  business  took  him ;  while  his  employ- 
ers were  learning  to  esteem  him  for  his  kind  and 
gentlemanly  manner  and  his  faithful  service. 

He  had  been  in  Middletown  about  a  year  when 
the  directors  of  the  old  Middletown  bank  held  a 
meeting,  as  usual,  but  with  an  unusual  matter  to 
talk  about.  The  theme  was  stated  in  the  form 
of  a  question  :  — 

"  Who  knows  of  a  young  man  whom  he  can 
recommend  for  the  position  of  bookkeeper  and 
teller?" 

Mr.  Atkins  was  one  of  the  directors  of  this 
bank  and  one  of  the  oldest  merchants  in  the  town. 
He  said  that  he  knew  a  young  man  whom  he 
would  recommend. 

"  Who  is  he  ?  "  was  the  first  question. 

"  A  young  man  by  the  name  of  Gates,"  was  the 
reply. 

'^  What  do  you  know  about  him  ?  " 

"  I  know  that  my  store  used  to  be  the  first  one 
in  tlic  street  to  bo  opened  in  the  morning,  but  now 
wlien  I  come  down  the  street  I  find  that  Gates  has 


Starting  Out  in  Life.  48 

his  employer's  store  opened  and  swept.  I  never 
see  him  coming  out  of  saloons  or  wasting  liis 
money  smoking  cigars,  as  most  young  men  do,  and 
I  see  him  at  church  and  Sunday-school  every 
Sabbath;  therefore  I  recommend  Mr.  Gates." 

Mr.  Gleason,  the  cashier,  said  that  he  knew 
that  wliat  Mr.  Atkins  had  said  was  true,  and  the 
directors  decided  to  offer  the  situation  to  Mr. 
Gates ;  but  to  their  surprise  the  young  clerk 
declined  it.  He  said  :  "1  know  nothing  of  book- 
keeping." 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Mr.  Atkins ;  "  you  can 
learn." 

"  But,"  said  the  clerk,  "  I  have  agreed  to  stay 
with  my  employers  for  one  year,  and  it  would  not 
be  right  for  me  to  leave  them  before  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period." 

"  I  offer  you  a  higher  salary,"  said  the  aston- 
ished merchant. 

But  Mr.  Gates'  ideas  of  honor  were  very  strict, 
and  he  would  not  even  ask  his  employers  to  release 
him  from  his  agreement.  Mr.  Atkins,  however, 
was  determined  not  to  lose  this  opportunity  for 
securing  an  employ^  who  could  be  so  faithful 
to  his  employer's  interests;  so  he  himself  went  to 
Griswold  &  Smith  and  stated  the  case  to  them, 
whereupon  they  summoned  Mr.  Gates  and  told 
him  that  he  had  better  not  lose  this  opportunity 
for  bettering  himself,  as  their  own  business  was 
small  and  did  not  present  opportunities  to  rise. 
So   Mr.  Gates   became    teller  in  the  Middletown 


44  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

bank,  and  was  afterwards  advanced  to  the  position 
of  bookkeeper.  From  that  time  he  never  again 
sought  a  situation ;  the  situations  sought  him. 

On  the  first  of  March,  1848,  he  summed  up  in 
his  journal  the  results  of  the  venture  he  had 
made  in  leaving  the  farm  :  — 

I  liave  this  morning  started  square  Avith  the  world 
in  money  matters,  owing  no  man  anything  save  good- 
will, with  S3. 52  in  my  pocket,  good  claims  to  the 
amount  of  SO.  16,  and  doubtful  claims  to  the  amount 
of  $2;  wardrobe,  $60;  hbrary,  $50;  making  iu  all, 
S121.68,  at  low  estimates.  Then  I  have  a  good  name, 
worth  at  least  the  amount  of  my  bond,  $2,000,  which 
gives  me  the  pretty  sum  of  $2,121.68.  Now  if  that 
is  not  doing  a  fair  business  for  such  a  blunderhead  as 
I,  then  I  am  no  judge.  One  year  and  eleven  months 
ago  I  launched  my  bark  upon  the  troubled  sea  of  life, 
without  money  or  friends,  among  strangers  and  in 
business  of  which  I  was  as  ignorant  as  Crusoe's  man 
Friday  ;  with  but  one  decent  change  of  raiment  to  my 
back.  Bending  all  my  energies  to  the  work  of  rising 
in  the  world,  not  swiftly,  but  slowly  and  surely,  I 
gained  the  confidence  of  my  employers  and  the  public 
before  the  first  year  was  gone.  Here  again,  in  a  new 
place  and  a  new  business,  I  had  to  establish  a  new 
name,  and,  thanks  be  to  God  !  I  have  in  a  measure 
done  it,  so  that  now  I  feel  strong  and  full  of  hope. 
Notwithstanding  many  dark  hours  and  numerous  dis- 
couragements, I  have  steadily  advanced  in  worldly 
store,  in  the  number  and  worth  of  friends,  and  in 
useful  knowledge  of  books  and  men.  So  long  as 
blessed  with  henlth  I  am  sure  of  a  competence  here, 
and  shall  therefore  let  the  future  take  care  of  itself. 


Startiyig  Out  m  Life.  45 

He  soon  found  a  pleasant  boarding  place  and 
home  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Charles  Newton,  whose 
kindly  interest  and  thoughtfulness  for  him  find 
frequent  mention  in  his  journal. 

The  five  years  spent  in  Middletown  were  event- 
ful ones  to  Mr.  Gates  in  the  formation  of  his 
character.  It  was  a  time  of  mental  awakening 
and  invigoration.  He  formed  friendships  with 
young  men  of  kindred  spirits  —  Jonathan  Barnes, 
John  Summers,  and  others.  In  their  walks  they 
talked  over  the  books  they  were  reading,  and  when 
absent  one  from  another  their  letters  were  full  of 
discussions  of  poets,  politics,  history,  events  of  the 
day  in  their  own  country  and  in  foreign  lands. 
In  his  journal,  Mr.  Gates  mentions  the  names  of 
thirty-one  books  which  he  read  during  his  stay  in 
Middletown,  all  of  them  standard  works,  and  his 
friend,  H.  W.  Barnes,  declares  the  secret  of  his 
success  in  this  direction  in  a  letter  written  to  him : 
"I  know  that  you  make  it  a  practice  to  read  at 
least  a  little  every  day,  and  we  are  undoubtedly 
of  the  same  opinion,  that  a  vast  amount  of  infor- 
mation is  obtained  by  thus  husbanding  time." 
The  love  of  good  reading  clung  to  him  through 
life,  and  he  became  a  wide  reader,  but  one  who 
only  cared  for  the  best  books. 

Mr.  Gates  became  a  member  of  the  Middletown 
Lyceum,  May  21,  1846,  about  tw^o  months  after 
his  arrival  in  that  city,  and  he  trained  himself  to 
take  part  in  its  discussions. 

He  also  attended  the  singing-school,  and  found 


46  A  Christian  Business  Man, 

both  pleasure  and  profit  in  its  sessions,  where  he 
came  in  contact  with  the  young  people  of  the 
town.  One  of  his  friends  in  a  letter  to  him,  writ- 
ten at  this  period,  thus  enthusiastically  eulogized 
the  singing-school  of  that  day :  "  I  said  I  had 
been  to  singing-school.  Ah,  yes;  and  what  a  place 
for  enjoyment!  If  I  were  endowed  from  on  high 
with  the  power  of  trying  to  make  the  world 
happy,  and  could  do  as  I  thought  best  to  effect 
that  object,  I  believe  I  should  make  the  whole 
world  one  vast  singing-school  and  myself  the 
master." 

Soon  after  coming  to  Middletown,  he  formed 
the  habit  of  recording  his  daily  experiences  and 
reflections  in  a  journal.  Three  of  these  journals 
cover  the  years  1848  to  1851.  The  entries  were 
very  full  and  detailed  at  first,  but  became  more 
fragmentary  toward  the  latter  part  of  this  period. 
His  journal  gave  him  free  scope  to  utter  the 
thoughts  and  fancies  that  crowded  his  active 
mind,  and  at  the  same  time  it  was  a  means  by 
which  he  trained  himself  in  the  art  of  expressing 
his  thouglits.  Oftentimes  the  record  is  full  of 
fanciful  similes  and  metaphors.  At  first,  not  a 
month  closed  without  a  parting  address  to  it,  and 
each  nevv  month  was  hailed  with  apostrophes,  de- 
scriptions, and  meditations.  Often  he  resorted 
to  verse  to  express  his  fancies.  But  he  was  grow- 
ing fast,  though  himself  unconscious  of  the  fact. 
From  year  to  year  his  style  became  ever  more 
chaste  and  forcible,  his  spirit  less  perturbed  and 


Starting  Out  in  Life.  47 

more  peaceful.  His  journal  was  his  academy  in 
which  he  was  schooling  himself.  It  covers  the 
period  when  the  boy  was  rapidly  becoming  a 
thoughtful,  earnest  man,  and  it  was  one  of  the 
instrumentalities  by  which  his  thoughtfulness  and 
habits  of  observation  were  developed  and  trained. 
His  love  of  nature  is  often  revealed  in  such 
records  as  the  following :  — 

August  7,  1846. —  There  is  a  continual  freshness  in 
the  country  prospect  that  no  city  view  can  give.  Long, 
winding  alleys,  with  their  rotten,  tottering  tenements 
and  squalid  populations,  or  even  the  broad,  well-paved 
street,  with  its  stately  mansions  becomes  dull  and  des- 
titute of  beauty  when  contrasted  with  the  green  hills, 
dark  forests,  and  cool  valleys  which  surround  our 
country  villages. 

He  had  a  sensitive,  poetic  nature,  over  which 
the  very  changes  of  the  weather  cast  their  lights 
and  shadows. 

August  10,  1846. —  To-day  is  one  of  those  regular- 
built,  drowsy,  sleepy,  drizzling  days,  than  which  I  had 
rather  see  almost  anything  in  the  shape  of  atmospheric 
changes. 

August  12. —  Never  did  man  enjoy  a  more  beautiful 
morning  than  this.  There  is  not  a  cloud  to  hide  the 
freshness  of  the  blue  arch  above,  or  even  a  hoverinff 
mist  to  dim  the  vision  while  scanning  earth  beneath. 
The  sun,  all  glorious,  is  just  now  ascending  his  golden 
throne,  while,  one  by  one,  the  queen  of  night's  fair 
nymphs  are  dropping  off  to  sleep.     On  such  a  morning 


48  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

as  this  how  the  spirit  pines  and  pants  for  the  richness 
of  countr}'  scenery  !  How  w^e  desire  to  turn  our  eyes 
from  brick  and  mortar  to  the  green  fields  of  childhood, 
the  purling  brooks  and  stately  groves  in  which  we  had 
full  many  a  frolic  !  How  foolish  men  are  to  be  willing 
to  forego  all  the  peaceful  bliss  and  quiet  enjoyment 
of  a  country  life  for  the  noise,  bustle,  and  confusion, 
the  care,  anxiety,  and  toil  incident  to  a  city  life  ! 

April  7. —  A  bright  and  glorious  morning.  Not  a 
cloud  veils  from  view  the  light  of  heaven.  All  is  calm 
and  still,  as  if  nature  were  waiting  with  great  anxiety 
the  coming  of  some  great  event  or  messenger.  And 
so  it  is  ;  that  mellow  light  that  streams  up  the  eastern 
sky  and  now  grows  golden  and  now  fiery  red  pro- 
claims that  the  king  of  day  is  near  at  hand.  He 
comes,  fresh  risen  from  his  chambers  in  the  east,  and 
rejoicing  as  a  strong  man  to  run  a  race.  How  glad- 
some seem  those  first  warm,  golden  beams  he  throws 
aslant  our  western  world  !  First  the  mountain  tops 
catch  and  hold  the  golden  light,  and  finally  the  dark 
shadows  disappear  from  e'en  the  lowly  vale. 

His  mother  cheered  and  encouraged  him  in  his 
struggle  for  a  place  and  competence.  She  wrote 
to  him  the  year  he  went  to  Middletown  :  — 

I  rejoice  to  hear  that  you  have  chosen  the  people  of 
God  for  your  friends  ;  continue  to  do  so,  and  I  shall 
not  fear  for  your  prosperity.  Your  situation  is  as  good 
as  I  expected  and  even  better.  I  beg  of  you  not  to 
be  too  much  depressed  about  your  poverty.  If  we 
have  food  and  raiment,  let  us  be  content.  Look  for- 
ward !     There  is  nothing  which  a  truly  brave  and  per- 


Startimj  Out  in  Life.  49 

severing  young  man  may  not  accomplish.  He  pushes 
ahead  until  his  designs  are  achieved.  The  history *of 
all  noted  men  shows  that  it  was  energy  and  persever- 
ance that  made  them  distinguished  above  their  fellow 
men.  The  reason  why  so  many  turn  out  badly  is  their 
lack  of  courage  and  their  fear  of  the  world,  \yhat 
has  an  honest  man,  or  a  man  of  virtue  to  fear?  All 
are  but  shadows  that  look  dark  before  you,  and  these 
vanish  before  the  light  of  truth  and  generous  ambition. 
I  do  not  wish  you,  my  dear  son,  to  belong  to  that 
class  of  men  who  care  nothing  about  the  politics  of  the 
day.  I  do  not  mean  that  I  wish  you  to  become  a 
public  disputant,  to  contend  with  every  man  you  meet 
who  happens  not  to  think  as  you  do ;  but  I  wish  you 
to  study  well  the  laws  of  your  country,  and  make 
yourself  familiar  with  every  article  of  our  Constitu- 
tion. It  was  formed  by  wiser  and  better  men  than  any 
we  have  now.  If  you  found  your  political  creed  on 
that,  I  do  not  fear  that  you  will  be  in  the  wrong.  I 
iiad  rather  see  you  with  the  minority  than  going  with 
the  multitude  to  do  evil.  You  need  not  fear  that  the 
subject  of  politics  will  be  uninteresting  to  me.  I  think 
tkat  every  woman  ought  to  know  enough  of  politics 
to  guide  her  sons  and  friends. 

I  rejoice  to  hear  that  you  keep  the  Sabbath  strictly. 
Never  let  the  love  of  money  induce  you  to  occupy 
a  situation  where  you  cannot  thus  keep  the  Sabbath. 
God  will  not  bless  you  except  in  the  performance  of  duty. 

I  am  very  happy  to  hear  you  say  that  you  owe  no 
one  and  live  within  your  income.  Ever  retain  that 
principle.  I  consider  a  man  independent  that  owes 
nothing ;  it  is  the  ruin  of  many  that  they  contract 
debts  without  knowing  how  they  shall  be  able  to 
cancel  them. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

EXERCISESTG   HIMSELF   UNTO    GODLINESS. 

AS  has  already  been  stated,  Mr.  Gates  united 
on  confession  of  his  faith,  July  4,  1841, 
with  the  Congregational  Church  of  East  Haddam, 
under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Isaac  Parsons. 
When  he  went  to  Middletown  he  lost  no  time  in 
uniting  with  the  South  Congregational  Church  of 
that  place.  Rev.  Andrew  L.  Stone  was  then 
pastor.  A  few  years  later  he  was  called  to  the 
Park  Street  Church  of  Boston.  Mr.  Gates  made 
his  journal  minister  to  his  spiritual  as  well  as  his 
mental  development.  He  trained  himself  in  the 
art  of  listening  to  public  discourses  and  remem- 
bering them.  From  week  to  week  he  wrote  out  at 
home  what  he  could  remember  of  the  sermons 
which  he  had  heard  in  church.  Sometimes  several 
days  passed  by  before  he  committed  these  notes 
to  writing,  but  they  were  often  so  full  it  seemed 
as  if  the  sermon  must  have  been  largely  repro- 
duced in  them.  In  this  way  he  acquired  the 
habit  and  power  of  treasuring  up  in  memory 
the  addresses  to  which  he  listened.  In  later 
years  he  could  always  give  a  full  resumd  of 
any  discourse  which  he  had  heard  recently, 
and  remembered  many  which  he  had  heard  years 
before. 

60 


Exercising  Himself  Unto  Godliness.  51 

Mr.  Stone's  sermons  are  regularly  reported  in 
his  journal,  often  with  a  few  words  of  apprecia- 
tive comment  or  self-application,  but  never  with 
words  of  criticism. 

Mr.  Gates  loved  the  Sabbath  day,  and  was  sel- 
dom absent  from  church  services.  This  love  for 
the  Sabbath  finds  frequent  expression  in  his  jour- 
nal. He  was  never  willing  to  sleep  late  on  Sab- 
bath mornings.     He  says  of  this  habit :  — 

There  is  perhaps  no  practice  more  universally  preva- 
lent in  regard  to  keeping  the  Sabbath  than  that  of 
sleeping  late  in  the  morning  ;  and  yet  I  am  sure,  from 
my  own  experience,  that  it  is  most  fatal  in  its  effects 
upon  spiritual  life  ;  in  fact,  that  such  a  commencement 
of  the  holy  hours  surely  leads  to  leanness  and  an  un- 
profitable conclusion.  If  we  hired  a  man  to  labor  for 
us,  we  should  by  no  means  be  content  with  a  day 
beginning  at  nine  o'clock,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  it 
is  just  as  much  robbery  of  God  to  spend  three  or  four 
hours  of  his  day  in  sleeping. 

Often  Monday  morning  opened  with  a  record 
like  the  following  :  — 

August  17,  1846. — The  oasis  of  the  Sabbath  is 
passed,  and  once  more  1  must  wind  my  way  through 
the  desert  of  care  and  toil.  Wilt  thou  keep  me,  O 
Lord  God  of  Sabaoth,  through  the  hours  of  this  week, 
and  guide  me  in  the  path  of  duty  !  Let  me  so  live 
that  the  world  shall  be  compelled  to  acknowledge  that 
I  am  actuated  bv  right  principles ! 


52  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

The  same  love  for  the  Sabbath  inspired  the 
record  written  on  Sabbath  evening,  December 
17,  1848  :  — 

The  evening  shades  steal  on  apace,  the  sable  clouds 
of  night  are  shrouding  half  the  globe,  and  all  in 
nature  without  and  my  heart  within  is  hushed  and 
tranquil.  I  have  been  meditating  on  the  communion 
of  God  with  his  people  ;  and,  as  my  thoughts  winged 
their  upward  flight  through  the  starry  worlds  and  ever- 
circling  systems  of  space,  into  the  very  presence  cham- 
ber of  the  infinite  One,  my  soul  breathed  freer  and 
fuller  than  for  a  long  time  past.  How  much  we  lose 
of  this  blessed  communion  with  God  by  our  sins  in 
departing  from  the  path  of  duty  and  allowing  the 
world  to  occupy  so  much  of  our  time  !  And  how  slow 
is  our  advancement  in  the  divine  life,  compared  with 
what  it  might  be,  did  we  but  live  up  to  our  privileges  ! 

A  little  later  (January  7,  1849)  he  wrote  :  — 

Again  does  the  silence  of  the  Sabbath  evening  pre- 
vail, hushing  all  the  boisterous  mirth  and  even  sadden- 
ing the  thoughts  which  in  the  bright  glare  of  day  rioted 
so  wildly  in  pleasures  and  pastimes  forbidden.  I  can 
never  sit  down  at  such  a  time  without  much  thought- 
fulness.  There  is  something  in  the  hour  which 
awakens  all  that  is  noble  and  good  in  the  mere  world- 
ling, if  he  be  not  too  hardened,  and  certainly  to  the  real 
Christian  —  to  him  who  has  feasted  on  the  treasures 
of  the  gospel  during  the  hours  of  lioly  time  now  past 
—  there  ought  to  be  an  exquisite  interest  and  delight 
in  the  calm  twilight  season.     It  is  a  most  fitting  time 


Exercising  Himself  Unto  Godliness.  53 

for  self-examination  and  the  review  of  our  lives,  for 
repentance  and  prayer,  and  for  making  new  resolu- 
tions as  to  our  future  walk  and  conversation  in  the 
name  of  Him  who  ever  liveth  to  plead  our  cause.  I 
greatly  fear  that  with  many  of  our  churchgoers  there 
is  a  sad  neglect  of  these  duties.  We  are  prone  to 
take  up  with  forms  without  the  power,  with  outward 
service  of  the  lips  unaccompanied  by  that  spiritual 
fervor  of  the  heart  which  alone  in  God's  sight  consti- 
tutes worship ;  with  a  mere  attendance  upon  public 
ordinances  instead  of  practical  self-application  and 
appropriation.  Such  services  will  be  of  none  effect 
unless  we,  in  the  silence  and  solitude  of  our  closets, 
bring  home  all  these  truths  to  our  hearts  and,  by  the  aid 
of  the  sealing  Spirit,  engrave  them  upon  their  tablets. 

Often  he  confessed  to  his  journal  that  he  had 
not  attained  the  high  purposes  towards  which  he 
was  ever  striving :  — 

August  21,  1846.  —  Weather  dull,  trade  duller,  and 
myself  the  dullest  of  all. 

"  Oh,  for  a  closer  walk  with  God, 
A  calm  and  heavenly  frame, 
A  light  to  .shine  upon  the  road 
That  leads  me  to  the  Lamb !  " 

How  strange  that  our  affections  cleave  so  close  to 
earth  when  heaven  alone  ought  to  be  the  center  of  our 
plans  and  expectations  !  We  have  had  two  days  of 
quite  stormy  weather,  rendering  trade  exceedingly 
dull.  How  proper  at  such  a  time  is  self-examination 
and  a  thorough  review  of  past  life,  and  yet  how  few 
practice  it ! 


54  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

"  Guide  me,  O  thou  great  Jehovah, 
rilgrim  through  this  barren  land  I" 

August  23^  1S46.  — I  have  to-day  attcnrled  chiircb  as 
usual,  but  to  what  spiritual  profit  I  cannot  say.  It  is 
with  shame  and  sorrow  that  I  confess  my  coldness  and 
stupor  in  spiritual  things.  I  do  not  enjoy  the  presence 
of  God  as  when  first  I  breathed  the  prayer  of  repent- 
ance and  faith.  My  wanderings  I  can  trace  to  one 
first  departure  from  the  duty  of  secret  prayer.  O 
God,  guide  me  again,  I  pray  thee,  to  the  path  of  duty, 
and  let  the  light  of  thy  reconciling  countenance  shine 
upon  me  ! 

At  the  close  of  a  month  he  thus  examined  him- 
self:— 

What  have  I  done  during  the  month  now  closing  ? 
what  victory  over  easily  besetting  sins  ?  what  strength 
in  the  Christian  warfare?  what  clearer  views  of  the 
character  of  God  and  of  his  moral  government  over 
man?  What  have  I  done  to  alleviate  human  suffer- 
ing, to  help  on  the  great  cause  of  human  progress,  and 
the  greater,  holier  cause  of  pure  and  undefiled  religion. 
What  have  I  done  for  the  development  of  my  own 
moral  and  intellectual  character?  How  have  I  per- 
formed my  duties  to  myself,  my  fellow  men,  and  to 
God,  my  Creator?  I  must  answer  these  questions 
truthfully  and  strive  in  the  next  month  to  do  better. 

The  communion  season  brought  him  peculiar 
heart  searchings :  — 

Sabbath,  July  9,  1848. — This  has  been  the  com- 
munion season,  and  I  would  that  I  could  record  in  my 


Exercising  Himself  Unto  Godliness.  55 

journal  some  great  triiiinph  over  easily  besetting  sins, 
some  signal  victories  over  the  carnai  law  ruling  in  my 
members,  some  increase  of  spiritual  knowledge,  some 
growth  in  grace  — but  alas  !  I  tremble  for  the  result  of 
all  these  privileges  upon  my  soul ;  I  tremble  lest  they 
should  meet  me  at  the  last  only  to  frown  upon  me  and 
condemn  me. 

One  of  the  later  records  shows  a  more  peaceful 
spirit :  — 

April  6,  1850.  —  My  religious  experience  for  the 
week  has  been,  on  the  whole,  rather  more  encouraging. 
I  have  enjoyed  some  precious  seasons  of  secret  com- 
munion with  God,  and  have  not  been  so  cast  down  in 
spirit  as  during  several  preceding  weeks.  Yet  I  have 
much  to  mourn  over  and  repent  of,  concerning  which 
to  make  new  resolutions  for  the  future.  At  times  I 
greatly  fear  that  I  have  no  genuine  piety  at  heart. 
Self  and  self-seeking  is  the  law  of  action  within  me 
rather  than  Christ  and  his  glory  and  the  advance- 
ment of  Ills  cause.  I  want  depth  of  feeling  —  that 
positiveness  and  earnestness  which  is  the  result  of  a 
complete  transformation  from  darkness  to  light,  from 
death  to  life,  from  sin  to  holiness.  This,  O  God,  give 
unto  thy  servant,  and  let  me  live  to  thee  alone  ! 

Although  he  longed  for  more  of  the  spiritual 
affections  and  emotions,  yet  he  did  not  trust  to 
these ;  indeed  he  charges  himself  with  erring  in 
the  direction  of  too  much  emotion  :  — 

December  24,  1850.  —  I  am  aware  of  a  great  defect 


56  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

in  my  character,  namely,  too  much  sensitiveness,  too 
much  mere  feeling,  easily  elated  and  easily  cast 
down. 

He  was  not  one  who  could  be  content  with  any 
merely  formal  performance  of  religious  duties, 
but  was  urgent  in  demanding  of  himself  that  the 
spirit  keep  pace  with  the  lips  in  worship  :  — 

Sabbath,  November  19,  1850.  —  Again  have  I  been 
permitted  to  join  the  worshiping  assembly  in  the  house 
of  our  God.  My  voice  has  mingled  with  the  voices 
of  others  in  songs  of  praise ;  my  ears  have  heard 
the  truths  of  the  gospel  from  the  living  preacher ;  and 
I  hope  my  heart  has  gone  up  in  pure  and  fervent 
desire  with  the  prayers  of  the  assembled  multitudes. 
But  if  it  be  otherwise,  if  all  this  outward  performance 
of  duty  on  my  part  is  simply  soulless,  wanting  that 
spirit  of  truth  which  is  the  essence  of  accepted  prayer, 
better,  far  better  will  it  be  for  Korah  and  his  company, 
for  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  all  the  human  race 
drowned  in  the  flood,  than  for  me  in  that  great  day, 
when  the  Judge  of  the  quick  and  the  dead  shall  appear 
in  power  and  glory  to  render  unto  every  one  according 
to  the  deeds  done  in  the  body,  whether  they  be  good 
or  evil.  I  know  and  feel  how  transcendently  impor- 
tant this  question  is,  and  I  would  to  God  I  might  say 
with  holy  boldness  :  "  In  God  have  I  put  my  trust ;  I 
will  not  fear  what  flesh  can  do  unto  me."  But  alas ! 
1  am  so  unfaithful,  so  slothful  in  the  service  of  my 
Master,  that  I  walk  in  darkness.  O  God,  forgive  my 
sins  and  grant  me  the  aid  of  thy  Holy  Spirit  to  guide 
and  direct  my  steps  ! 


Exercising  Himself  Unto  CrodUness.  57 

A  few  months  later  he  recorded  a  protest  against 
merely  formal  worship  :  — 

I  have  heard  six  sougs  of  praise,  two  sermons,  five 
prayers,  and  two  benedictions  to-day ;  and  I  am 
going  this  evening  to  hear  some  more.  What  a  round 
of  formalism  do  we  pursue  !  How  faithfully  we  serve 
Mammon  all  the  week  and  do  penance  Sundays,  hop- 
ing thereby  to  get  to  heaven,  and  delight  forever  in 
what  is  now  so  irksome  to  us  ! 

Soon  after  coming  to  Middletown,  Mr.  Gates 
identified  himself  very  actively  with  the  work  of 
the  church,  took  a  class  in  the  Sabbath-school,  and 
was  chosen  first  secretary  and  then  superintendent 
of  the  school.  He  recorded  his  idea  of  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  a  Sabbath-school  teacher  :  — 

If  I  understand  rightly  the  teacher's  duty,  it  is,  in 
relation  to  the  scholars  of  his  class,  similar  to  the 
relation  which  the  pastor  bears  to  his  church.  He 
should  come  to  them  as  richly  furnished  as  may  be 
with  wisdom  temporal  and  spiritual,  and  should  in  all 
things  throw  upon  the  side  of  his  precepts  the  whole 
moral  weight  of  a  good  example.  If  he  admonish 
his  pupils  to  be  regular  in  their  attendance  upon  the 
Sabbath-school,  and  then  for  a  small  thing  stays 
away  himself,  what  avails  his  counsel?  Will  not  those 
scholars  be  well  armed  with  excuses  from  his  example 
whenever  they  may  have  occasion  to  be  absent  ? 

While  laboring  in  the  Sabbath-school  of  his  own 
church,  he  also  found  time  to  teach  a  class  in  a 


58  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

school  for  colored  people,  called  Zion's  Sabbath- 
school,  which  held  its  sessions  at  noon.  Of  this 
class  he  writes,  in  June,  1848  :  — 

After  church  T  spent  an  hour  with  my  class  of  Afri- 
cans very  pleasantly.  It  is  composed  of  four  young 
ladies  and  one  quite  elderly  woman  who  is  rather  igno- 
rant. The  manner  of  teaching  is  to  have  the  class  read 
in  rotation  two  verses  each  from  some  of  the  Gos- 
pels, and  then  I  make  running  comments  on  the  same. 
Whether  my  instruction  is  profitable  to  them  or  not, 
I  find  many  benefits  resulting  from  it  to  my  own  self. 
.  .  .  When  I  see  the  ignorance  of  some  of  my  class 
concerning  the  great  things  which  make  for  eternal 
life,  I  am  led  to  rejoice  in  the  more  full  and  glorious 
knowledge  with  which  I  have  been  favored,  and  to  re- 
turn devout  thanks  to  God  for  all  his  benefits.  Surely 
ours  is  a  goodly  heritage,  and  the  lines  are  fallen  to  us 
in  pleasant  places  ! 

During  the  latter  part  of  his  stay  in  Middle- 
town,  Mr.  Gates  was  burdened  with  cares.  His 
salary  was  small,  and  he  was  carrying  the  burdens 
of  others.  His  mother  was  dependent  upon  him 
for  a  part  of  her  support,  and  he  aided  other  rela- 
tives. The  officers  of  the  Middletown  bank  had 
promised  to  promote  him,  but  they  were  slow  in 
fulfilling  their  promises.  In  order  to  provide  for 
his  mother,  he  undertook  to  keep  the  books  of 
a  merchant,  Mr.  W.  A.  Camp.  After  the  day's 
work  at  the  bank  was  over,  he  would  go  to  Mr. 
Camp's  store  and  write  up  his    books.     He    was 


Exercising  Himself  Unto  Godliness,  59 

overworked   and  somewhat  discouraged,  and  the 
entries  in  his  diary  show  it :  — 

December  1,  1849. — Well,  the  day  has  gone,  the 
month  too  —  the  dull,  dreadful  mouth  of  November. 
During  its  passing  I  have  not  registered  many 
thoughts  —  in  fact  I  have  not  had  many  thoughts. 
My  days  have  been  devoted  to  stocks,  ledgers,  and 
bills,  and  my  evenings  to  posting  books  for  W.  A.  C. 
'Tis  a  dog's  life,  and  I  hate  it.  No  time  for  cool,  un- 
troubled thought,  no  time  for  social  intercourse,  none 
for  meditation.  Work,  work,  work  !  My  companions 
in  the  store  are  what  the  world  terms  "  moral  men," 
but  in  truth  they  are  far  otherwise.  They  take  the 
name  of  their  Creator  in  vain  and  discourse  fluently 
upon  subjects  unfit  for  an  immortal's  consideration. 
Now  what  will  be  the  result  of  this  intercourse  ?  Am 
I  to  be  assimilated  to  them,  or  are  they  to  perceive  in 
me  a  light  not  in  their  own  souls  ? 

A  week  later  he  recorded  a  conversation  with  a 
young  man  on  whom  he  had  called  for  the  purpose 
of  persuading  him  to  become  a  Christian.  He 
was  thus  unconsciously  answering  his  own  ques- 
tion, and  a  later  record  near  the  end  of  the 
month  shows  that  his  longing  for  spiritual  bless- 
ings remained  unquenched :  — 

The  storm  is  pleasant  to  me,  for  it  brings  me  a 
leisure  hour,  and  that  I  prize  as  a  thing  most  precious. 
My  soul  thirsts  and  my  mind  hungers  for  other  drink 
and  meat  than  can  he  found  in  accounts  current,  sales 
of  stock,  or  items  of  profit  and  loss.     This  world  of 


60  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

the  actual,  ph^^sical,  material  is  good,  all  good  in  its 
place  ;  but  there  is  another  world,  another  life  towards 
which  this  continually  points,  for  which  this  is  but 
preparatory.  I  am  prone  to  forget  it ;  often  I  strive 
to  forget  it,  but  in  vain.  I  am  forced  to  believe  it, 
remember  it,  and  act  upon  the  great  truth.  My  hope 
is  that,  by  God's  grace  assisting  me,  I  may  yearly  gain 
something  more  of  heavenly  knowledge  and  lose  at 
least  a  little  of  the  love  of  earth. 

In  addition  to  the  financial  burdens  he  was  bear- 
ing, there  were  others  brought  upon  him  by  his 
keen  sympathy  with  those  he  loved.  His  sister 
Elizabeth  became  engaged  to  an  Episcopal  clergy- 
man. She  agreed  to  join  with  her  lover  in  wor- 
shiping God  according  to  the  rules  of  his  church 
and  he  was  satisfied  with  this  ;  but  later  he  came 

under  the  influence  of  Bishop  C ,  of  Ohio,  an 

ai'dent  churchman,  and  his  own  views  underwent 
such  a  change  that  he  endeavored  to  persuade 
his  betrothed  to  acknowledge  that  none  could  be 
saved  through  any  other  medium  than  that  of  the 
Episcopal  Church.  She  refused  to  assent  to  this, 
and  after  many  painful  interviews  and  long-con- 
tinued expostulations  with  her,  he  deserted  her, 
breaking  the  engagement.  She  was  almost  heart- 
broken. Her  affections  clung  to  her  lover,  even 
while  her  sense  of  honesty  and  better  judgment 
dissented  from  his  views  and  refused  his  demands. 
She  was  sick  for  nearly  three  years,  the  symptoms 
of  consumption  appeared,  and  she  finally  died  of 
that  disease. 


JSxercising  Himself  Unto   Godliness.  61 

Her  brother  shared  her  sufferings  and  lightened 
them  by  his  tender  sympathy,  stilling  as  best  he 
could  his  indignation  at  her  lover's  course. 

All  these  trials  were  refining  his  character, 
which  grew  ever  sweeter  and  truer.  Traces  of 
this  refinement  through  service  and  suffering 
appear  in  his  journal;  — 

February  24,  1S50.  —  At  noon  I  spent  an  hour 
with  my  class  most  delightfully,  never  more  so  that 
I  can  remember.  The  theme  was  the  translation  of 
Elijah  and  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  My  soul 
was  full  and  the  running  waters  gushed  forth  freely. 
God  in  great  mercy  bless  the  truth  to  their  salvation 
and  sanctification  ! 

April  6,  1850.  — For  two  or  three  days  my  atten- 
tion has  been  turned  to  the  beautiful  adaptation  of 
various  plants  and  animals  to  the  climes  which  they 
inhabit.  How  wonderful  is  all  this,  and  how  plainly  it 
speaks  of  a  great  design  on  the  part  of  Him  who,  by 
the  word  of  his  power,  spoke  it  into  being  and  action  ! 


CHAPTER  V. 

NEW   SCENES. 

CHANGE  of  place  often  works  injury  to  the 
Christian  life,  just  as  transplanting  causes 
the^plant  to  wither  which  fails  to  take  root  in  the 
new  soil.  But  it  was  not  so  with  Mr.  Gates.  His 
Christian  life  was  no  exotic  which  could  not  bear 
transplantation,  but  a  rugged  plant  which  found 
a  home  in  any  soil. 

In  1851  he  was  married  to  Mary  Eliza  Hutchins, 
of  East  Haddam,  whom  he  had  known  and  loved 
for  a  long  time.  Ever  since  his  coming  to  Middle- 
town,  he  had  been  looking  forward  to  this  event 
and  striving  to  lay  up  money  in  order  to  hasten 
its  consummation.  The  ordinary  course  of  his 
life  had  been  broken  by  occasional  visits  to  East 
Haddam,  from  one  of  which  he  returned  on  foot, 
a  distance  of  fifteen  miles.  The  influence  of  his 
betrothed  had  already  been  exercised  in  the  di- 
rection of  his  best  interests.  At  her  request  he 
abandoned  the  use  of  tobacco,  a  habit  which  he 
had  formed  in  Middletown,  and  signed  a  pledge 
of  total  abstinence  from  intoxicating  liquors,  be- 
cause she  was  fearful  that  he  would  be  exposed 
to  temptation,  through  the  influences  surrounding 
him  in  the  company  of  militia  of  which  he  had 
been  appointed  major. 


Neiv  Scenes.  63 

The  wedding  took  place  at  East  Haddam,  in 
the  house  of  the  bride's  father,  Deacon  Jeremiah 
Hutchins,  Wednesday  morning,  May  7,  1851,  at 
half-past  ten  o'clock,  and  they  began  their  wedded 
life  in  Middletown,  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Newton, 
where  Mr.  Gates  had  already  boarded  for  several 
years. 

The  Hutchins  family  was  also  among  the  early 
settlers  of  the  American  colonies.  Deacon  Hutch- 
ins traced  his  ancestry  back  to  Nicholas  Hutchins, 
who  came  over  from  England  in  the  reign  of 
Charles  II,  about  the  year  1670,  and  settled  in 
Lynn,  Mass. ;  and  his  wife,  Lucretia  Spalding, 
claimed  descent  from  a  large  and  respectable 
family  founded  in  America  by  Edward  Spalding, 
who  died  February  26, 1670.  In  1834,  nine  of  his 
name  had  graduated  from  Yale  College,  two  from 
Harvard,  and  eighteen  from  other  New  England 
colleges. 

Mr.  Gates'  salary  was  small,  but  by  careful 
management  they  succeeded  in  laying  by  some- 
thing every  year.  He  often  commended  the  thrift 
and  prudence  of  his  wife  to  their  children  as  an 
example  worthy  of  their  imitation.  In  1884  he 
wrote  to  one  of  them  :  — 

When  I  look  back,  I  cannot  be  thankful  enough  that 
God  gave  me  such  a  wife.  We  married  on  a  salary 
of  $G00  a  year,  but  never  ran  into  debt,  and  in  all  the 
years  of  struggle  and  disappointment  she  made  every 
dollar  go  further  than  most  women,  doing  her  own 
work   quietly  and   lovingly  in   New   Haven,  and    the 


64  A  Clirutian  Busi7iess  Man, 

sewing  for  all  you  children  in  Chicago.     We  all  owe 
a  great  deal  to  your  dear  mother. 

In  his  thought  the  poet  was  right  when  he  said : 

It  shall  be  felt  that  she  whose  care 

The  lamp  of  thrift  makes  burn, 
Can  take  with  him  an  equal  share 

Of  all  their  lives  may  earn. 

After  his  marriage  his  journal  received  less 
attention  ;  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  noted  this 
fact  with  the  following  characteristic  comment :  — 

How  far  apart  the  datings  in  this  once  well-kept 
journal !  Sometimes  I  philosophize  in  this  wise : 
"Diaries  and  sketch-books  will  do  very  well  for  old 
bachelors,  on  whose  hands  time  hangs  heavy ;  but  for 
married  men,  keeping  journals  is  idle,  very  idle  busi- 
ness. Indeed  it  is  for  the  want  of  wives  with  wliom 
to  talk  over  matters  that  we  sit  down  and  write  about 
them  in  diaries.*' 

November  1,  1851,  Mr.  Gates  accepted  the  offer 
of  a  situation  as  bookkeeper  in  the  City  Bank  of 
New  Haven,  tendered  him  by  the  directors,  who 
were  seeking  a  suitable  person  for  that  place.  He 
removed  to  New  Haven,  but  the  change  of  place 
made  no  change  in  his  Christian  activity,  nor  did 
he  seek  rest  from  service  even  for  a  time.  Before 
the  close  of  the  month  he  had  taken  a  class  in 
the  Sabbath-school  of  the  Center  Church  of  New 
Haven,  and  he  soon  united  with  that  church, 
which  was  then  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Dr. 
Bacon.  His  Christian  life  was  still  his  chief  inter- 
est and  concern.     Dr.  Bacon's  sermons  find  place 


New  Scenes,  ^b 

regularly  in  his  journal,  and  he  was  careful  to 
maintain  a  strict  watch  over  his  spiritual  life,  as 
the  following  entry  shows  :  — 

Sabbath^  December  14,  1851.  —  To-day  has  passed, 
as  so  many  before  it,  without  any  very  remarkable  state 
of  feeling  on  my  part  as  to  the  great  themes  of  sal- 
vation in  which  I  have  in  fact  so  fearful  an  interest, 
although  it  moves  me  so  little.  This  morning  was 
sadly  wasted  in  bed,  and  of  course  there  was  no 
time  to  review  the  Sabbath-school  lesson  and  become 
imbued  with  the  spirit  of  it ;  so  that  exercise  flagged 
in  interest  and  profited  neither  me  nor  the  class,  as  it 
ought  to  have  clone.  The  sin  of  the  sluggard  is  a  great 
one,  and  I  do  not  wonder  that  the  wise  man  waxed 
warm  as  he  sang  of  his  folly. 

The  closing  months  of  that  year  were  darkened 
by  the  shadow  of  affliction  in  the  death  of  his  only 
sister.     He  writes,  December  28,  1851 :  — 

At  this  time  sad  thoughts  claim  possession  of  my 
mind,  for  my  sister  Elizabeth  lies  dangerously  ill  of 
that  fatal  disease,  consumption.  Perhaps  she  may 
have  already  taken  her  flight  from  scenes  of  time 
and  entered  upon  those  of  an  eternal  nature.  For 
many  days  she  has  been  waiting  for  her  Lord's  coming, 
ready  and  anxious  to  be  at  rest.  She  is  happy  and 
full  of  peace  and  joy,  feeling  assured  that  it  will  be 
well  with  her,  and  that  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ 
is  far  better  than  to  remain  here  in  the  bondage  of  sin. 
Her  life  has  been  one  of  many  sorrows,  but  I  trust 
that  she  will  soon  enter  upon  those  joys  that  know  no 
alloy  and   never  dim.     Oh,  that  I  may  so  live   that 


66  A  Ohristian  Business  Man, 

when  my  turn  comes  I  too  may  go  in  peace,  having 
the  blessed  promises  for  my  support ! 

January  IS.  —  After  much  severe  suffering,  she  ex- 
pired on  the  night  of  Tuesday,  the  sixth  instant,  and 
one  week  ago  to-day  we  buried  her  remains  in  the  little 
cemetery  of  Housatonic.  Her  death  was  accompanied 
by  evidences  of  sincere  piety  and  an  unshaken  trust  in 
Christ,  her  Saviour  and  her  All.  Her  mind  retained 
its  clearness  and  force  to  the  end,  and  she  signified  her 
peace  and  joy  by  a  pressure  of  the  hand  at  the  last. 

In  1852,  Mr.  Gates  and  bis  wife  began  to  keep 
house  and  greatly  enjoyed  their  own  home.  That 
same  year  their  first  child  was  born,  a  daughter, 
who  received  the  name  of  Sarali  Elizabeth,  her 
second  name  commemorating  the  sainted  sister 
who  had  so  recently  passed  away,  while  her  first 
name  was  given  in  memory  of  her  mother's  sister 
who  died  a  few  months  after  the  marriage  of  her 
parents.  Soon  after  the  birth  of  this  little  girl, 
the  mother  went  to  East  Haddam  for  a  visit  to  her 
father's  family,  taking  her  babe  with  her;  then 
the  neglected  journal  began  to  receive  attention 
again,  and  often  it  was  called  to  be  the  confidant 
of  the  fond  father  as  he  voiced  his  affection  for  his 
wife  and  child. 

About  this  time  he  was  enabled  to  realize  a  long- 
cherished  wish  and  offer  to  his  mother  the  refuge 
of  his  home. 

In  December,  1852,  the  directors  of  the  Middle- 
town  Bank  gave  him  an  invitation  to  succeed  Mr. 
Gleason  as  cashier  of  that   bank,  at  a   salary  of 


^ew  Scenes.  67 

$1,000.  Th^  directors  of  the  City  Bank  of  New 
Haven  at  once  increased  his  salary  to  the  same 
figure  and  he  declined  the  call  to  Middletown. 
At  first  thought  he  had  been  ready  to  accept  it. 
His  affections  drew  him  toward  Middletown,  where 
he  had  many  dear  friends.  This  call  seemed  to 
him  the  pledge  of  his  reunion  with  them.  He 
said :  "  I  was  eLated  as  a  schoolboy  who  turns  his 
face  towards  home,  having  bidden  farewell  to 
his  books  for  a  season."  But  when  he  came  to 
analyze  the  situation,  his  judgment  pronounced 
against  the  acceptance  of  this  offer.  He  con- 
sulted with  a  gentleman  of  experience  and  good 
judgment,  who  said  to  him :  "  I  consider  your 
prospects  fairer  than  those  of  any  other  man  now 
in  the  business  in  this  city  ;  indeed  I  know  of  but 
one  man  who  would  stand  the  least  chance  as  a 
competitor."  He  refused  the  call  to  Middletown, 
but  lie  was  not  to  remain  long  in  New  Haven. 

He  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Timothy 
Dwight,  who  had  his  office  in  the  City  Bank  build- 
ing, and  their  acquaintance  soon  ripened  into 
friendship.  Mr.  Dwight  was  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing. His  factory,  known  as  "  the  brass 
works,"  was  situated  at  Ansonia,  a  few  miles  west 
of  New  Haven.  He  had  been  very  successful  in 
business  and  was  a  man  of  good  character  and 
Christian  principles,  and  was  quite  intimate  with 
the  officers  and  directors  of  the  City  Bank. 

Mr.  Dwight  was  acquainted  with  Colonel  Mason, 
tlie  cliief  engineer  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 


68  A  Christian  Business  Man, 

Company,  and  through  him  and  the*  directors  of 
the  railroad  he  procured  a  large  contract  for  the 
manufacture  of  the  rolling  stock  of  the  road. 
Mr.  Gates  had  for  some  time  been  desirous  of  find- 
ing an  opening  in  manufacturing  business.  The 
new  venture  looked  inviting,  and  when  Mr. 
Dwight  asked  him  to  engage  in  it,  it  did  not 
require  much  urging  to  persuade  him  to  accept  the 
invitation  and  to  go  to  Chicago  to  take  charge  of 
the  books  of  the  American  Car  Works  as  secretary 
and  bookkeeper. 

He  left  New  York,  April  12,  1853,  at  six  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  but  the  train  was  delayed  by 
storms,  so  that  he  arrived  at  Chicago  at  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  14th,  having  been 
on  his  way  three  days  and  two  nights.  He 
was  fatigued  with  the  journey,  almost  sick  and 
quite  alone,  having  left  his  family  in  New  Haven. 

For  the  first  two  weeks  he  stayed  at  the  Garden 
City  Hotel,  going  to  the  American  Car  Works 
every  morning.  Omnibuses  ran  as  far  as  Twelfth 
Street,  and  he  walked  the  rest  of  the  way,  about 
a  mile  and  a  half.  Afterwards  he  found  a  home 
in  the  family  of  Mrs.  Long,  whose  house  was  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  car  works. 

He  threw  himself  into  his  new  employment 
with  all  his  energy.  The  American  Car  Works 
brought  many  workmen  to  that  part  of  the  city 
and  hastened  its  growth,  so  that  in  nine  months 
it  changed  from  an  unbroken  prairie  to  a  flourish- 
ing settlement,  known   by  the  name  of  Carville, 


Isfeio  Scenes.  69 

containing  a  population  of  several  hundreds,  and 
with  new  houses  going  up  every  day. 

One  of  the  first  questions  which  confronted  Mr. 
Gates  was  that  of  his  church  connection,  for  he 
was  not  one  who  could  long  remain  a  stranger  in 
the  house  of  God.  But  he  found  that  this  ques- 
tion was  beset  with  peculiar  difficulties.  For  the 
first  three  Sabbaths  he  attended  church  with  the 
First,  Second,  and  Third  Presbyterian  churches, 
and  was  urged  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  one  of  them. 
In  a  letter  to  his  wife  he  thus  stated  the  condition 
of  things  in  which  he  found  himself :  — 

I  find  that  CongregationaHsiii  here  is  not  what  it  is 
in  old  Connecticut.  The  Presbyterian  Church  is  the 
dominant  one,  and  the  tendency  in  that  church  is  to 
treat  the  Congregationalists  as  intruders  or  dissenting 
ultraists.  The  first  people  are  members  of  Presbyte- 
rian churches,  and  there  is  not  the  best  of  feeling 
between  the  two  denominations  ;  hence  many  young 
men  who  come  from  the  east  strong  in  their  Congrega- 
tional belief,  for  expediency's  sake  pass  into  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  are  soon  lost  to  the  denomination 
in  which  they  were  trained.  Now  take  my  case  ;  my 
letters  of  introduction  are  all  to  prominent  men  in  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Church,  the  aristocratic  society 
of  the  city,  and  by  going  to  that  church  I  should 
probably  be  quickly  settled  in  the  best  society.  You 
see  at  once  how  strong  the  inducements  are  to  sacrifice 
my  Congregationalism  to  ease,  comfort,  and,  perhaps, 
lucrative  connections  with  rich  and  influential  members 
of  that  society.  But  suppose  I  came  seeking  a  place 
with  these  same  letters  and  received  a  place  from  these 


70  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

men,  how  much  more  powerfully  would  I  be  tempted 
to  fall  in  with  them  !  Now  that  is  exactly  the  way  it 
works.  I  find  numbers  of  young  men  who  were 
Congregationalists  at  the  cast,  but  are  now  firm  sup- 
porters of  the  other  order  through  the  working  of  such 
circumstances.  But  I  love  the  beautiful  simplicity  of 
our  New  England  order  too  well  to  quickly  give  it  up. 
I  am  heartily  persuaded  that  it  is  the  form  of  church 
government  most  in  accord  with  the  teachings  of  the 
apostolic  age  and  the  genius  of  our  institutions,  and 
that,  on  a  fair  trial,  it  will  be  found  to  work  as  admi- 
rably here  as  in  old  New  England. 

A  desire  to  find  the  place  where  he  could  be 
most  useful  entered  into  the  solution  of  the  prob- 
lem, and  he  was  mindful  of  his  influence  over 
others.  He  said  :  "  These  worldly  and  irreligious 
men  around  us  will  be  keen  to  notice  Avhether  we 
act  upon  the  line  of  duty  or  mere  pleasure  seek- 
ing, and  it  behooves  us  to  be  circumspect." 

He  at  once  allied  himself  with  a  few  others  in 
attempts  to  provide  religious  services  for  the  peo- 
ple in  the  vicinity  of  the  car  works.  At  first  their 
meetings  were  held  in  a  schoolhouse,  and  they 
found  it  hard  to  arrange  their  services  so  as  to 
avoid  conflicting  with  the  Methodists,  who  also 
held  services  there.  Ten  days  after  his  arrival  in 
Chicago  he  wrote  to  his  wife :  — 

As  soon  as  I  get  settled  at  Mrs.  Long's  I  shall  com- 
mence operations  in  the  way  of  Sunday-school  and 
Bible-class  efforts,  and  I  hope  to  be  able  to  draw  in 
some  from   the  fields  and  street,  who  are  now  open 


New  Scenes.  71 

violators  of  the  holy  day.  You  have  no  idea  of  the 
amount  of  open  violation  of  the  Sabbath  there  is  here. 
Teams  of  all  kinds  meet  your  gaze  at  every  turn,  and 
men  and  boys  accoutered  for  hunting  and  fishing  or 
sporting  of  some  kind.  Still,  there  are  a  great  many 
churches  of  all  kinds,  and  the  permanent  inhabitants 
may  be  called  churchgoing.  Several  of  our  most 
popular  churches  have  services  only  once  on  the  Sab- 
bath. There  is  great  need  of  faithful  religious  effort 
here,  both  among  those  who  were  moral  in  Connecticut 
and  among  those  who  acknowledge  no  restraint.  The 
former  are  prone  to  break  loose  from  old  habits  of 
Sabbath-keeping  and  churchgoing,  and  to  seek  their 
own  pleasure  in  hunting,  rambling,  and  manual  labor ; 
while  the  latter  spend  the  day  in  drinking,  gambling, 
and  vicious  indulgence  generally.  Oh,  that  I  may 
have  grace  to  keep  me  in  the  paths  of  rectitude  and 
guide  me  in  my  labors  for  this  people  ! 

Rev.  E.  F.  Dickinson  had  been  holding  services 
in  the  schoolhouse  for  nearly  two  months  before 
Mr.  Gates'  arrival  in  Chicago.  He  also  preached 
at  another  place  about  a  mile  away,  holding  one 
service  in  each  place. 

In  a  letter  to  his  wife,  Mr.  Gates  says  of  the 
first   service   he    attended   there :  — 

For  singing-books  we  had  three  Carmina  Sacras, 
and  as  all  were  afraid  and  none  were  acquainted  with 
each  other,  the  singing  went  rather  funny.  But  we 
are  going  to  have  some  books  and  a  singing-school 
next  Tuesday,  and  a  rehearsal  next  Sabbath,  half  an 
hour  before  church  time  ;  I  am  going  into  it  full  drive. 


72  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

He  did  go  into  this  church  work  in  the  same 
way  that  he  went  into  his  business  and  all  other 
lines  of  activity  —  with  all  his  energy.  He  did 
nothing  by  halves.  The  little  church  on  the 
corner  of  Twenty-sixth  Street  and  Calumet  Ave- 
nue was  built  largely  by  the  subscriptions  of  the 
American  Car  Company,  and  Mr.  Gates  was  in- 
strumental in  securing  many  of  the  subscriptions. 
It  was  not  always  easy  to  collect  what  had  been 
subscribed.  At  times,  when  work  was  not  press- 
ing in  the  shops,  Mr.  Gates  would  ask  Mr.  McRoy, 
the  foreman,  who  was  a  warm  friend,  to  take  the 
subscription  list  and  collect  the  sums  promised  by 
the  subscribers.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  Mr. 
McRo}^  came  to  a  man  who  had  subscribed  125, 
and  asked  him  for  that  sum.  The  man  answered : 
"I  am  not  going  to  pay  that." 

"  Is  not  that  your  signature  ? "  asked  Mr. 
McRoy. 

"Yes,"  said  the  subscriber;  "but  I  never  in- 
tended to  pay  that ;  I  reckon  that  my  singing  in 
the  choir  is  worth  |25  to  them." 

Having  completed  his  list,  Mr.  McRoy  returned 
and  told  Mr.  Gates  of  the  reception  accorded  him 
by  the  subscriber.  Mr.  Gates'  reply  showed  a 
Christian  spirit  and  a  vein  of  humor,  both  charac- 
teristic of  him:  "Well,  Mr.  McRoy,  let  us  be 
charitable  ;  let  us  hope  that  there  may  be  salvation 
even  for  such  a  man." 

Mr.  Timothy  Dwight  was  in  full  accord  with 
Mr.  Gates  in  all  his  plans  for  the  welfare  of  the 


New  Sce7ies,  78 

little  church  and  community,  and  did  not  wait  to 
be  asked  to  become  a  liberal  subscriber  to  these 
causes.  A  circulating  library  was  started  by  sub- 
scription, wliich  was  much  used  and  appreciated 
by  the  workmen  in  the  car  works. 

Mr.  Gates  was  very  popular  with  the  men 
because  of  his  ready  sympathy  with  them  and  his 
manifest  interest  in  them.  Often  when  he  became 
tired  of  bending  over  his  books,  he  would  go  out 
into  the  shops,  seize  a  hammer  or  plane,  and  work 
with  them.  They  had  the  utmost  confidence  in 
him,  and  there  was  not  one  of  the  workmen  who 
would  not  gladly  go  out  of  his  way  to  serve  him. 

The  separation  from  his  family  upon  coming  to 
Chicago,  with  the  uncertainty  as  to  the  time  of 
their  reunion,  was  no  light  trial  to  Mr.  Gates,  who 
was  of  an  affectionate  nature.  May  1,  1853,  he 
wrote  to  his  wife  as  follows  :  — 

Sabbath  eve.  —  In  the  providence  of  God  we  have 
been  guided  and  kept  thus  far,  and  have  taken  these 
last  steps  not  without  earnest  prayer  for  light  to  shine 
upon  the  path  of  duty ;  and  now  we  must  try  to  see 
and  feel  the  hand  of  our  heavenly  Father  in  all  the 
circumstances  of  the  change.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
God  has  something  in  store  for  us  in  connection  with 
my  coming  here,  which  we  shall  by-and-by  perceive 
clearly,  though  at  present  it  may  be  hidden  behind 
clouds  of  gloomy  anxiety  and  trembling  forebodings. 
Let  us  commit  ourselves,  then,  and  all  our  interests 
into  the  keeping  of  Him  who  knowoth  what  is  best  for 
us,  and  who  has  declared  that  he  will  deliver  all  who 


74  A  Christian  Business  Man, 

put  their  trust  iu  him.  Let  us  go  right  forward  in  the 
discharge  of  every  duty,  assured  that  we  shall  thus 
find  relief  quicker  than  in  any  other  way.  Perhaps, 
Mary,  this  is  the  very  trial  God  has  been  preparing  for 
us,  that  we  may  be  perfected  in  character  and  prepared 
for  the  greatest  usefulness  here  and  hereafter.  How 
precious  is  the  privilege  of  prayer !  Do  not  neglect 
it,  dearest,  and  grace  shall  fill  your  soul  according  to 
your  hour  of  need.  Take  good  care  of  our  precious 
treasure.  Bend  over  her  much  in  prayer,  that  she 
may  earh'  learn  the  form  and  attitude  thereof,  and  be 
impressed  by  the  act.  I  trust  she  daily  hushes  her 
little  prattle  at  the  table  when  grace  is  asked.  The 
picture  of  you  and  her  is  a  treasure  to  me,  although 
the  sight  of  it  always  starts  a  tear.  God  bless  you, 
dearest  ones,  and  keep  you  under  the  shadow  of  his 
wings ! 

His  family  came  to  him  in  the  fall  of  1853,  but 
returned  to  East  Haddam  for  a  visit  in  the  spring 
of  the  next  year.  While  they  were  gone,  the 
cholera  broke  out  in  Chicago,  and  many  fled  from 
the  city.  Mr.  Gates  remained  at  his  post  and  did 
not  hesitate  to  attend  those  who  were  stricken 
with  the  plague.     He  thus  wrote  to  his  wife  :  — 

I  am  very  glad  you  and  the  children  went  just  as 
you  did,  for  I  should  have  felt  dreadfully  had  either 
of  you  fallen  victims  here,  and  when  once  the  panic 
had  commenced,  I  should  have  been  loath  to  leave  my 
post  and  thus  head  a  stampede  among  our  men.  The 
two  head  men  in  the  macliinc  sliop  did  thus  leave  to 
accompany  their  wives   east,  and   their  example   has 


New  Scenes.  75 

cost  us  hundreds  of  dollars,  besides  going  far  to 
increase  fear  in  others  and  thus  lay  them  open  to  the 
disease.  I  have  seen  the  workings  of  cholera  in  all 
its  stages,  and,  though  I  should  prefer  not  to  inhale 
the  breath  of  a  person  in  the  third  stage,  yet  I  should 
no  more  shrink  from  attendance  upon  a  patient  stricken 
with  this  disease  than  one  sick  with  bilious  fever.  At 
the  same  time,  so  great  is  the  power  of  sympathy  and 
the  influence  of  mind  over  body,  that  it  is  especially 
becoming  for  every  person  to  use  all  reasonable  dili- 
gence in  guarding  against  the  first  approach  of  danger 
and  in  keeping  himself  steadily  stayed  upon  Christ, 
the  Hope  of  the  soul. 

At  first  he  felt  that  it  was  his  duty  to  go 
promptly  to  the  bedsides  of  the  sick  and  dying 
and  labor  for  their  restoration  in  order  to  check 
the  panic  and  inspire  the  timid  with  confidence. 
But  as  the  community  became  accustomed  to  the 
disease  and  learned  how  to  treat  it  the  necessity 
for  doing  thus  was  lessened.  Mr.  Gates  was  care- 
ful of  his  diet,  and  his  Christian  faith  enabled  him 
to  maintain  a  steady  quietude  of  spirit  Avhich 
brought  great  comfort  and  peace.  He  said :  '^  How 
full  of  consolation  is  the  thought,  He  ordereth  all 
things  well !  God  knows  what  is  needed  in  order 
to  our  proper  discipline,  l^et  us  learn,  then,  to 
receive  all  our  experiences  as  coming  directly  from 
his  hand  and  to  profit  by  them." 

The  weather  was  exceedingly  trying  during  the 
time  of  the  cholera.  September  3,  1854,  Mr. 
Gates  wrote :  — 


76  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

Ah,  never  before  did  I  know  such  longing  for  a  con- 
tinuously cool  breeze,  a  cloudy  day,  and  a  refreshing 
shower !  Night  after  night,  as  long,  low  banks  of 
clouds  skirt  across  the  north  and  west,  we  watch  them 
with  intensest  interest,  and  as  the  lightnings  dart,  or 
an  occasional  low  muttering  of  thunder  is  heard,  hope 
kindles  anew,  and  we  rejoice  in  the  promised  shower. 
But  alas  for  the  tokens  of  the  next  morning  !  Cloud- 
less and  brazen  the  heavens  are  outstretched,  resem- 
bling more  a  glowing  furnace  than  the  mild,  ethereal 
blue.    Never  have  I  experienced  anything  like  it  before. 

And  yet  nothing  could  be  wiser  than  the 
admonitions  which  he  wrote  to  his  wife  in  these 
trying  days  :  — 

In  regard  to  your  own  health,  I  hope  you  will  be 
careful  and  not  overdo.  Try  to  take  things  easily.  If 
all  does  not  go  well  about  the  house,  let  it  pass  as  an 
idle  tale,  unless  firm,  quiet  action  will  remedy  the  evil. 
Above  all,  cultivate  that  spirit  of  simple  trust  and 
confidence  in  God  that  always  proves  more  efficacious 
than  aught  else  in  smoothing  the  rough  ways  of  life. 
A  free,  cheerful  mingling  with  old  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances ;  a  course  of  light,  pleasurable  reading  mixed 
with  enough  of  sound,  practical  thought  to  keep  the 
mind  stable  and  firm  and  give  a  wholesome  check  to 
the  flights  of  fancy  ;  and,  as  the  basis  of  all,  such  an 
intimate  and  continual  communion  with  Christ  as  shall 
make  the  atmosphere  at  all  times  heavenly,  in  spite  of 
all  the  clouds,  smoke,  and  dust  of  disappointment, 
apprehension,  and  care,  —  these,  dearest,  seem  to  me 
the  best  means  to  render  your  days  and  weeks  pleas- 
ant and  profitable. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

DILIGENT   IN  BUSINESS,   FERVENT  IN   SPIRIT, 
SERVING   THE   LORD. 

IN  1855  the  American  Car  Works  wound  up 
its  affairs  and  closed  out  its  business.  The 
settlement  was  effected  through  Mr.  Gates,  who 
bought  the  stock,  giving  his  notes  for  $250,000, 
and  carried  on  the  business  until  all  contracts 
were  completed  and  debts  paid.  This  entailed 
upon  him  severe  labor  and  great  care,  and  when 
it  was  at  last  accomplished  his  health  gave  way 
and  he  was  sick  for  weeks.  When  he  got  up 
from  this  sickness  his  physicians  advised  a  change 
of  climate  for  his  health,  and  he  accordingly  made 
a  journey  down  the  Great  Lakes,  from  which  he 
was  called  home  by  the  severe  illness  of  his  second 
child,  Charles,  occurring  about  the  time  of  the  birth 
of  the  third  child,  William,  in  September,  1855. 

Near  the  close  of  the  same  year  an  incident 
occurred  which  illustrates  Mr.  Gates'  thoughtful- 
ness  for  others.  He  was  himself  in  poor  health 
and  out  of  business,  his  financial  resources  at  a 
very  low  ebb.  A  poor  man  living  in  the  same 
block  had  died  in  the  spring,  leaving  to  his  widow 
a  house  and  lot  on  which  only  two  payments  had 
been  made.     Mr.  Gates  went  to  the  man  who  held 

77 


78  A  Christian  Busineas  Man. 

the  notes,  paid  the  balance  clue  on  them,  and 
placed  the  notes  in  liLs  pocket.  He  also  paid  the 
taxes  for  two  years  and  aided  the  widow  in  other 
ways  of  which  she  knew  nothing.  In  December 
her  house  and  furniture  were  damaged  by  fire. 
Mr.  Gates  labored  with  other  neighbors  to  save 
the  house  from  destruction,  and  after  the  fire  a 
purse  was  made  up  on  the  spot,  which  was  enough 
to  repair  the  damage  to  the  building.  The  next 
morning  Mr.  Gates  started  out  with  a  subscrip- 
tion paper  to  endeavor  to  secure  enough  to  cover 
the  losses  on  the  furniture.  Entering  the  store 
of  a  friend  he  made  an  appeal  to  liim,  obtained 
a  subscription,  and  was  about  leaving  the  store 
when  a  well-dressed  lady,  who  had  listened  to  his 
earnest  appeal,  modestly  asked  the  privilege  of 
adding  her  contribution.  Her  gift  was  thank- 
fully received,  and  Mr.  Gates  went  on  his  way 
cheered  and  gladdened  by  this  unexpected  help. 
In  his  journal  he  recorded  his  gladness  that  even- 
ing and  his  sympathy  with  the  poor  widow,  say- 
ing, '*  It  is  a  dreadful  thing  to  be  left  a  widow 
without  means  in  this  cold  world." 

That  same  day  he  helped  an  escaped  slave  on 
his  way  to  Canada;  and  in  regard  to  that  he 
wrote :  — 

I  was  richly  rewarded  b}'  his  thanks  for  the  interest 
I  manifested  in  his  case.  God  grant  the  time  may 
soon  come  when  such  cases" shall  be  unknown,  for  the 
simple  reason  that  slavery  does  not  exist.  On  the 
whole,  the  day's  experience  has  been  very   pleasant. 


Diligent  in  Business.  79 

How  blessed  it  is  to  have  the  power  to  help  others ! 
Verily,  it  is  more  blessed  to  give  thau  to  receive. 

He  entered  into  business  again,  February  1, 
1856,  forming  a  partnership  with  Thomas  George 
and  Edward  Hamilton  in  the  manufacture  of 
wares  made  of  copper,  brass,  tin,  and  sheet-iron, 
and  in  the  sale  of  stoves,  pumps,  etc.  He  entered 
upon  this  connection  with  high  hopes  of  success, 
and  recorded  in  his  journal  the  principles  on 
which  he  expected  to  conduct  his  business :  — 

I  am  now  fairly  embarked  on  the  sea  of  business 
life,  and  feel  that  spiritually  I  am  in  great  danger. 
The  seductions  of  business  are  powerful,  and  espe- 
cially so  when  one  is  prosperous.  Amid  the  storms 
of  adversity  and  the  darkness  of  disappointment,  the 
soul  turns  its  eyes  upward  and  seeks  comfort  from  on 
high ;  but  when  the  sun  of  prosperity  shines  and  there 
are  no  clouds  to  darken  the  heaven  of  our  success, 
then  the  soul  forgets  God  and  relies  on  itself  and  is 
in  extremest  danger.  I  have  no  ambition  to  be  great 
in  this  world  and  have  too  just  an  estimate  of  my 
abihties,  I  trust,  to  ever  dream  of  any  such  thing  ;  but 
I  would  be  useful,  and  as  a  means  of  usefulness  I 
would  acquire  property,  I  care  not  how  fast.  Toiling 
for  money  merely  for  the  sake  of  money,  I  despise,  but 
the  possession  of  money  with  a  heart  to  use  it  for  the 
good  of  others  is  a  rich  gift.  To  me  there  is  greater 
pleasure  in  the  power  to  relieve  the  wants  of  the  truly 
needy  than  in  aught  else  I  know  of.  I  would,  then,  by 
industry,  thrift,  aud  enterprise  acquire  wealth,  and  I 
intend  to  labor  hard  for  such  an  end.     I  mean  to  do 


80  A  Christian  Business  Mayi. 

business  on  truly  honest  principles,  to  get  trade  wher- 
ever I  can  without  any  sacrifice  of  self-respect  or 
compromising  of  integrity.  I  do  not  believe  in  doing 
business  at  a  loss,  for  that  will  endanger  our  safety 
as  a  firm  and  be  wronging  our  creditors.  I  shall  there- 
fore strive  to  make  every  transaction  yield  its  fair 
quota  of  profits  and  no  more.  I  dislike  the  method 
sometimes  adopted  of  urging  men  to  buy  on  credit 
what  the  seller  knows  they  do  not  really  need  and 
may  perhaps  find  it  difficult  to  pay  for.  I  have  often 
seen  men  get  into  difficulty  from  entering  into  specu- 
lations outside  of  their  regular  business,  and  I  consider 
the  plan  dangerous  in  the  extreme ;  consequently  I 
shall  not  do  it  myself  and  shall  try  to  discourage  it  in 
my  partners. 

There  can  be  no  success  without  labor  and  steady 
perseverance  ;  I  shall  therefore  rise  early  and  pursue 
my  appropriate  line  of  duty  with  untiring  stedfast- 
ness,  thus  setting  an  example  to  those  in  my  employ. 

I  hold  to  the  accountability  of  a  firm  as  well  as  of 
an  individual.  I  shall  therefore  be  in  favor  of  a  gen- 
erous response  to  those  calls  of  public  charity  and 
benevolence  that  are  always  made  in  a  community  like 
this.  It  is  with  such  general  views  that  I  enter  into 
this  partnership,  hoping  for  the  blessing  of  God. 

This  partnership  ended  in  failure  in  the  great 
financial  depression  of  1857,  leaving  Mr.  Gates 
burdened  with  care  and  debt.  He  blamed  him- 
self for  not  investigating  the  affairs  of  the  firm 
more  thoroughly  before  entering  into  the  partner- 
ship and  for  not  resisting  more  strenuously  the 
temptations  to  enlarge  the   business   on   a   scale 


Diligent  in  Business,  81 

beyond  their  means,  and  he  acknowledged  to 
himself  that  he  had  been  blinded  by  his  haste  to 
get  rich. 

In  1884,  writing  to  one  of  his  children,  he  said 
of  this  period  of  his  life :  — 

God  has  been  very  good  to  us.  Losses  came  that 
swept  away  everything  but  character,  and  yet  we  never 
lacked  for  bread.  Your  dear  mother's  character  came 
out  in  those  days.  I  gave  up  everything  to  my  credit- 
ors and  she  never  had  a  word  but  of  approval. 

At  the  time  of  the  failure  he  wrote  :  — 

All  release  me  and  I  leave  all,  being  indeed  worse 
off  than  nothing  at  the  present  valuation  of  my  real 
estate.  One  thing  gives  me  comfort :  every  one  keeps 
confidence  in  my  integrity,  and  I  could  ask  a  favor 
of  any  of  our  creditors  with  no  fear  of  rejection  on 
the  ground  of  ill-will. 

In  the  hour  of  his  discouragement  and  depres- 
sion over  the  failure,  Mr.  E.  W.  Blatchford  came 
to  Mr.  Gates  with  words  of  cheer  and  encourage- 
ment, was  helpful  to  him  in  the  settlement  of  his 
affairs,  and  offered  him  employment  which  finally 
resulted  in  the  formation  of  a  partnership  between 
them. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  business  troubles, 
Mr.  Gates  was  untiring  in  his  labors  for  the  little 
church  of  which  he  was  a  member.  It  was  em- 
barrassed for  lack  of  funds,  and  parties  at  the 
East  held   a   note    against   the   property   of   the 


82  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

church.  In  these  circumstances  some  of  the 
members,  with  the  pastor,  conceived  the  idea  of 
seeking  help  from  the  Presbyterian  Society  and 
turning  the  church  over  to  that  denomination. 
A  meeting  was  called  to  consider  this  plan.  Mr. 
Gates  was  not  notified  of  the  meeting  and  knew 
nothing  of  the  plan.  But  a  lady  calling  upon  his 
wife  mentioned  that  such  a  meeting  had  been 
called.  As  soon  as  her  caller  had  left,  Mrs.  Gates 
put  on  her  bonnet,  went  to  her  husband's  place  of 
business,  and  told  him  what  she  had  heard.  He 
acted  with  characteristic  promptness  :  telegraphed 
to  the  parties  holding  the  note  of  the  church  that 
he  wished  to  take  up  the  note,  and,  when  he  had 
obtained  their  answer  to  the  effect  that  the  note 
was  his,  he  attended  the  meeting  with  this  answer 
in  his  pocket.  The  promoters  of  the  plan  had 
come  fortified  with  arguments  to  show  that  it 
was  for  the  good  of  the  church  that  they  should 
induce  the  Presbyterian  Society  to  raise  the  note 
and  take  them  under  its  wing.  They  presented 
these  arguments  and  everything  seemed  favorable 
to  their  views.  At  last  one  member  said  he 
should  like  to  inquire  who  held  the  note  of  the 
church.  At  this  juncture  Mr.  Gates  rose  and 
said,  "  I  do,  sir,"  and  resumed  his  seat.  It  was 
a  short  speech,  but  very  effective.  A  reaction 
at  once  set  in  which  resulted  in  the  church's 
maintaining  its  place  in  the  Congregational  body. 
The  most  ardent  advocates  of  Presbyterianism 
united  with  churches  of  that  denomination  in  the 


Diligent  in  Business.  83 

vicinity.  Those  who  remained  bravely  maintained 
the  struggle  with  greater  unity  of  purpose, 
though  diminished  in  numbers. 

Rev.  J.  H.  Dill,  an  earnest  and  devoted  man, 
became  their  pastor.  Mr.  Gates  rejoiced  in  his 
coming  and  spared  no  effort  to  support  him. 
Often  he  lighted  the  fires  and  swept  out  the 
church  for  the  public  services.  He  advanced 
money  to  the  church  for  the  payment  of  the  pas- 
tor's salary.  Indeed  he  embarrassed  himself,  bor- 
rowing money  in  order  that  the  work  of  the 
church  might  go  on  without  interruption.  In 
his  journal  he  wrote,  under  the  date  of  August 
7,  1859:  — 

My  heart  sinks  within  me  at  times  when  I  think  of 
Mr.  Dill's  salary  and  my  advances  to  the  church.  I 
have  embarrassed  myself  for  the  sake  of  the  church 
and  it  worries  me  at  times,  but  I  hope  for  the  best. 
I  feel  deeply  how  hard  it  is  to  live  aright,  but  I  do 
hope  and  pray  for  grace  to  gain  the  mastery  over  pas- 
sion, pride,  and  selfishness.  I  would  know  more  of 
God,  realize  more  deeply  my  own  sinfulness,  and 
enjoy  a  greater  nearness  to  Christ,  my  Redeemer, 
Helper,  and  Friend.  Our  church  rejoices  in  the  serv- 
ices of  Mr.  Dill,  and  has  reason  to  rejoice,  for  he 
seems  most  thoroughly  devoted  to  our  welfare  and 
upbuilding.  Our  weekly  prayer-meetings  are  better 
attended  and  more  interesting,  our  Suuday-seliool  is 
filling  up,  and  the  hearts  of  Christians  are  being 
drawn  more  closely  together.  Oh,  for  a  revival  of 
religion  that  would  blend  us  all  together  in  the  com- 


84  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

mon  cause  of  our  Master  and  gather  sinners  into  the 
church !  This  is  what  we  most  need  and  what  I  hope 
we  are  praying  for. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Clough,  an  old-time  friend  of  Mr. 
Gates  and  a  member  with  him  of  the  South  Con- 
gregational Church,  says  of  Mr.  Gates'  devotion 
to  that  church :  — 

I  first  knew  him  as  a  member  of  the  little  church  on 
the  corner  of  Twenty-sixth  Street  and  Calumet  Avenue. 
It  was  in  the  fall  of  1858.  We  had  just  moved  into 
the  neighborhood,  and  were  visiting  the  struggling 
churches  of  different  denominations  in  that  vicinity 
with  a  view  to  selecting  our  church  home.  Attracted 
more  by  the  cordial  and  friendly  manner  of  Mr.  Gates 
than  by  any  other  incident,  we  became  attendants  of 
the  little  church  on  the  corner.  He  seemed  to  have 
the  burdens  of  the  Lord's  work  upon  him  as  few  men 
have.  He  was  looked  to  as  the  chief  support  of  the 
church,  financially  and  spiritually.  I  suppose  he  was 
not  at  that  time  a  wealthy  man,  yet  he  was  the  first 
and  largest  contributor  to  the  ordinary  expenses  of 
the  church,  besides  giving  in  other  ways.  He  was 
treasurer  of  the  church,  and  when  some  of  the  mem- 
bers were  unable  to  pay  their  pew  rent  he  would  credit 
the  amount  to  the  subscriber,  paying  it  from  his  own 
purse  that  the  society  might  not  suffer  loss,  and 
nothing  was  known  of  it  by  others.  There  was  a 
poor  girl  in  the  congregation  who  could  help  herself 
and  parents  if  she  only  had  a  piano.  Mr.  Gates  found 
the  way  to  supply  the  instrument.  When  the  minister 
needed  a  better  watch  to  insure  his  prompt  appearance 
in   the   pulpit,   Mr.   Gates    furnished   the   timekeeper 


Diligent  in  Business.  85 

at   the  next  donation  party.      He    seemed  to   be  al- 
ways seeking  opportunities  for  helping  others. 

I  remember  at  one  time  he  seemed  very  much  dis- 
couraged. Our  good  minister,  Mr.  Dill,  had  joined 
the  army  of  the  Union  as  chaplain,  and  the  church 
needed  some  one  to  preach  the  gospel.  A  very  ac- 
ceptable young  man  from  another  city  had  visited  us 
and  preached  to  us,  and  we  desired  to  secure  his  serv- 
ice, but  there  was  no  money  and  not  much  prospect 
of  replenishing  the  treasury  except  from  one  source, 
and  that  was  Mr.  Gates'  purse,  which  was  ever  at  the 
command  of  the  cliurch.  Twelve  hundred  dollars 
must  be  raised  for  the  pastor's  salary,  besides  other 
expenses.  A  few  of  the  church  members  came  to- 
gether to  consider  the  situation.  We  sat  in  silence 
for  some  time,  Mr.  Gates  with  bowed  head  as  if  en- 
gaged in  silent  prayer.  At  last  some  one  in  the  little 
group  from  whom  perhaps  little  was  expected  broke 
the  silence  by  proposing  to  subscribe  Si 00.  Mr. 
Gates  seemed  at  once  to  have  gained  new  hope,  not 
so  much  on  account  of  the  sum  named,  as  from  the 
feeling  that  he  was  not  entirely  alone  in  his  willing- 
ness to  do  for  the  church.  The  amount  needed  was 
made  up  by  his  strong  support  and  earnest  efforts, 
and  the  pastor  was  secured,  greatly  to  the  happiness 
of  Mr.  Gates  and  the  growth  and  spiritual  life  of 
the  church. 

That  pastor  was  Rev.  W.  B.  Wright,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  between  whom  and  Mr.  Gates  a 
friendship  was  formed  of  more  than  ordinary 
stedfastness  and  intensity.  Mr.  Wright  says, 
writing  to  one  of  Mr.  Gates'  sons :  — 


86  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

At  that  period  of  a  man's  life  when  his  boyhood  is 
over  and  manhood  beginning ;  when  he  feels,  in  con- 
fronting the  forces  of  actual  life  all  entirely  new  to 
him,  as  a  little  child,  inexperienced  and  wholly  un- 
trained to  cope  with  them  ;  while  at  the  same  time  he 
knows  he  must  act  a  man's  part  and  may  not  look  for 
the  sympathy,  help,  and  consideration  which  are  given 
spontaneously  to  children,  —  at  that  period  your  father 
was  given  to  me.  He  understood  me,  put  his  virile 
strength  under  my  weakness,  loved  me,  bore  with  me. 
I  clung  to  him  as  an  ivy  clings  to  an  oak.  I  loved 
him  as  Jonathan  loved  David,  and  to  the  end  my 
grateful  prayer  of  thanksgiving  shall  be  that  our 
relations  were  what  they  were. 

While  Mr.  Gates  was  so  active  in  labors  for 
the  church,  he  was  equally  diligent  in  business. 
In  September,  1859,  the  Chicago  Lead  Works, 
in  which  he  was  engaged  with  Mr.  Blatchford, 
burned  down  in  a  disastrous  fire,  which  visited 
that  portion  of  the  city.  The  buildings  had  to 
be  rebuilt  and  the  accounts  of  the  firm  copied 
from  charred  books,  entailing  upon  Mr.  Gates 
severe  and  exhausting  labors.  But  nothing  inter- 
rupted his  fervent  devotion  to  the  service  of  his 
heavenly  Father.  On  the  Sabbath  following  the 
fire  we  find  the  following  record  in  his  journal :  — 

Again  has  the  Sabbath  of  rest  dawned 'upon  me, 
and  I  look  forward  to  the  services  of  God's  house 
with  pleasure.  "How  amiable  are  thy  tabernacles, 
O  Lord  of  hosts  !  A  day  iu  thy  courts  is  better  than 
a  thousand  iu  the  tents  of  sin."     Grant  us,  O  God, 


Diligent  in  Business.  87 

a  rich  feast  this  day,  a  spirit  of  deep  and  earnest 
prayer  that  great  good  may  be  accomplished  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  !  Clothe  thy  minister  with  salva- 
tion, and  make  his  words  quick  and  powerful  to  the 
salvation  of  sinners  and  the  upbuilding  of  saints  ! 

He  continued  to  live  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
church  after  he  had  entered  into  business  with 
Mr.  Blatchford,  although  his  home  was  nearly 
four  miles  from  his  office.  He  went  to  business 
very  early  in  the  morning  and  returned  so  late 
that  his  younger  children  often  saw  nothing  of 
their  father  save  on  Sundays.  He  labored  with 
his  own  hands,  often  himself  measuring  lead  pipe 
and  rolling  out  barrels  of  oil  for  customers.  He 
put  his  own  strength  and  vitality  into  his  business, 
and  gave  equal  diligence  to  his  work  for  Christ. 
To  him  the  Master's  business  was  his  business, 
and  all  business  was  the  Master's. 

Says  one  who  met  him  daily  in  business  rela- 
tions :  — 

He  was  too  firm  in  his  convictions  and  too  outspoken 
in  stating  them  to  be  what  the  world  calls  popular, 
but  he  had  what  was  better  than  popularity  —  the  es- 
teem and  respect  of  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him 
in  a  business  way.  During  a  business  association  of 
over  twenty  years  I  have  rarely  known  him  to  be 
mistaken  in  his  judgment  regarding  business  matters. 

He  had  to  a  rare  degree  the  ability  to  grasp  a 
situation,  to  look  on  both  sides  of  a  question,  and 
promptly  to  make  up  his  mind  as  to  the  best  course  to 
pursue.      In  business,  as  in  every  other  interest,  he 


88  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

was  an  untiring  worker.  If  anything  was  to  be  done, 
he  never  waited  for  some  one  else  to  do  it,  but  would 
take  hold  of  the  work  with  such  energy  that  it  would 
perhaps  be  completed  before  another  man  would  have 
made  up  his  mind  to  begin. 

Another  says :  — 

I  have  known  him  for  the  last  thirty-five  years.  I 
always  considered  him  a  model  business  man.  I  loved 
to  meet  him  at  the  lunch  table.  It  was  a  treat  to  hear 
him  at  such  a  time  discourse  upon  the  drift  in  the  busi- 
ness world  and  also  in  the  political,  as  bearing  upon 
the  interests  of  righteousness  and  good  government. 
His  public  spirit  was  an  element  of  his  nature  manifest 
to  all  who  knew  him. 

This  public  spirit  was  manifested  in  the  struggle 
for  the  election  of  Lincoln.  Mr.  Gates  was  deeply 
interested  and  took  an  active  part  in  that  contest. 
When  Fort  Sumter  was  threatened  he  wrote  in 
his  journal :  — 

I  say  to  every  man  of  the  North,  Stand  firm.  Ask 
nothing  that  you  would  not  readily  grant,  and  grant 
nothing  of  which  your  children  will  be  ashamed  and 
which  the  noblest  instincts  of  humanity  will  not  en- 
dorse. There  is  one  consolation  amid  all  these  sad 
occurrences  :  God  reigns  supreme  and  he  is  able  to 
overrule  all  that  which  seems  evil  to  us  for  the  highest 
good  of  this  nation. 

And  in  1862  he  wrote  again  :  — 

The   great   question  of   to-day   is.    What   shall  be 


Diligent  in  Business.  89 

done  with  the  negro?  I  say,  Let  freedom  go  with  our 
armies.  Liberate  every  slave  of  disloyal  masters  and 
confiscate  the  property  of  rebels.  Then  initiate  move- 
ments for  the  education  of  the  negroes,  and  put  them 
in  the  way  of  becoming  the  owners  in  small  parcels  of 
their  masters'  large  estates. 

When  the  draft  was  made  for  soldiers  Mr.  Gates 
did  not  wait  to  see  whether  he  would  be  drawn. 
Knowing  that  his  circumstances  did  not  permit 
him  to  go  to  the  front,  he  secured  a  substitute  to 
go  in  his  place.  One  evening  coming  home  from 
business  he  gathered  his  children  about  him  and 
gave  to  them  a  slip  of  paper  on  which  was  written 
the  name  and  address  of  this  substitute,  and  bade 
them  love  the  man  who  had  gone  in  their  father's 
stead  and  pray  for  his  safety.  It  meant  much  to 
those  little  ones  that  somewhere  out  at  the  front 
a  jnan  was  marching  and  fighting  in  the  j^lace  of 
their  beloved  fathei*,  and  so  he  was  spared  to  them. 

In  1861  Mr.  Gates'  health  showed  signs  of  seri- 
ous impairment,  and  he  was  apprehensive  that  he 
might  be  taken  away  suddenly,  so  he  wrote  direc- 
tions as  to  the  disposition  which  he  wished  to  have 
made  of  his  affairs.     In  closing  he  said  :  — 

My  great  desire  for  our  children  is  that  they  may  all 
receive  a  good  education,  and  be  brought  up  to  habits 
of  industry  and  economy,  and,  above  all,  be  thoroughly 
instructed  in  those  duties  which  they  owe  to  God. 
With  reUgion  and  industrious  habits  I  feel  that  they 
can  take  care  of  themselves  as  their  father  did  before 


90  A  Christian  Business  Mayi. 

theiu,  while  without  these  qualifications  no  amount  of 
property  I  could  leave  them  would  secure  to  them  re- 
spectability, real  success,  or  happiness.  I  commend 
my  eternal  interests  to  Him  who  gave  me  being,  feel- 
ing deeply  my  great  sinfulness  and  unworthiness,  but 
trusting  in  the  blood  and  in  the  mercies  of  Jesus  Christ 
for  my  salvation. 

Mr.  Wright  began  his  labors  with  the  South 
Congregational  Church,  November  2,  1862.  The 
friendship  formed  between  him  and  Mr.  Gates  was 
so  close  and  tender  that  the  pastor  was  wont  to 
style  himself  Jonathan  and  his  parishioner  David. 
The  home  of  each  was  another  home  to  the  other. 
A  few  years  later  when  the  pastor  was  yet  not 
fully  settled  in  his  Eastern  home  he  wrote  to  his 
friend :  — 

As  the  Jews  found  in  Jerusalem  the  type  of  heaven 
—  the  symbol  and  evidence  of  a  rest  remaining  —  it 
is  the  simple  truth  that  I  look  to  your  home  as  the  one 
place  on  earth  where  I  can  feel  absolutely  at  rest. 

And  the  pastor's  memory  still  lingers  in  the 
home  of  his  friend  like  a  loving  presence  felt  but 
not  seen. 

After  the  last  service  of  the  Sabbath  they  were 
wont  to  walk  together,  talking  over  the  services  of 
the  day  and  exchanging  counsels  for  each  other's 
spiritual  upbuilding,  and  often  they  would  retire  to- 
gether to  the  closet  to  pour  out  their  united  pray- 
ers for  the  church,  for  themselves,  and  for  individ- 
uals iu  whom  they  were  interested.     The  revivt^l 


DlUyent  in  Business,  91 

came,  for  which  Mr.  Gates  had  been  longing  and 
praying.  Thirty-nine  were  added  to  the  church 
by  letter  during  the  five  years  of  Mr.  Wright's 
pastorate,  and  twenty-seven  on  confession  of  their 
faith.     A  few  years  later  Mr  Wright  wrote  :  — 

The  ideal  communion  that  lingers  iu  my  memory 
like  a  whisper  from  heaven  is  the  one  when  we  all 
sat  down  together  after  the  sweet  revival  iu  the  little 
church,  when  L and  others  united  with  us. 

And  after  Mr.  Gates'  death  he  wrote  again  :  — 

I  will  tell  you  of  an  incident,  which  is  a  fair  speci- 
men of  countless  others,  showing  his  care  for  his  pas- 
tor. It  was  June,  I  think.  The  year  had  been  a  try- 
ing one  for  business  men.  There  had  been  a  revival  in 
our  church.  Meetings  had  been  multiplied,  and  he  had 
w^orked  in  them  with  an  energy  which  never  flagged. 
He  looked  worn  and  jaded.  I  grew  anxious  for  his 
health,  and  urged  him  to  take  a  rest,  but  he  said  it  was 
impossible.  I  could  not  move  him.  He  said  his  time 
was  not  his  own,  his  business  required  his  presence, 
the  church  needed  him.  But  one  who  need  not  be 
named  here,  one  to  whom  his  leaving  earth  has  given 
a  joy  scarcely  less  than  the  sorrow  his  departure  has 
given  me,  intimated  to  him  that  I  was  flagging  from 
overwork  and  needed  a  change.  The  second  morning 
after  he  heard  that  his  carriage  stopped  at  my  door, 
and  he  asked  me  to  take  a  ride  with  him.  I  accepted 
without  a  thought  of  anything  more  than  a  morning's 
ride.  At  noon  we  stopped  somewhere  for  dinner;  at 
night  we  reached  a  snug  inn.  He  proposed  that  we 
spend  the  night  there,    His  eyes  twinkled  as  he  took 


92  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

from  the  rumble  my  own  valise  packed  with  all  that 
could  be  needed  for  a  week's  journey.  He  told  me 
that  he  had  provided  for  the  supply  of  the  pulpit  on 
the  coming  Sabbath,  that  thoughts  neither  of  the  fac- 
tory nor  of  the  church  should  intrude  upon  us.  He 
brought  me  back  after  seven  days,  himself  refreshed 
by  the  journey,  but  still  more  by  the  conviction  that  he 
had  done  me  good. 

There  were  few  tasks  more  difficult  than  to  make  him 
care  for  himself,  none  easier  than  to  move  him  by  the 
lever  of  carefulness  for  others.  Wherever  he  could 
be  of  service,  there  he  loved  to  be.  It  mattered  little 
what  the  kind  of  service  was.  When  there  seemed  to 
be  small  interest  in  religion  he  would  come  to  my  study 
and  pray  with  me  for  spiritual  power ;  when  it  was 
given  and  inquirers  began  to  ask.  What  shall  we  do? 
he  would  spend  evening  after  evening  with  them  in 
conference  and  prayer.  When  cholera  came  and  many 
were  mastered  by  panic,  his  joy  was  to  visit  the  homes 
of  the  poor  where  the  disease  had  entered,  and  bring 
to  them  help  and  cheer.  Once  when  smallpox  had 
become  epidemic,  I  found  him  quietly  watching  by  the 
bedside  of  a  man  dying  of  that  disease,  watching 
while  the  sick  man's  wife  slept  in  obedience  to  his 
orders.  The  memory  of  these  facts  enables  me  to 
understand  the  wisdom  and  devotion  he  afterwards 
showed,  and  to  appreciate  the  joy  he  felt  in  his  larger 
ministrations  at  the  Bohemian  Mission  and  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Chicago  City  Missionary  Society.  Others 
will  tliink  of  him  as  the  able  man  of  business,  the  in- 
structed man  of  affairs,  the  eloquent  speaker,  the 
astute  organizer,  the  able  Bible  teacher,  the  faithful, 
patriotic  citizen,  the  loving  father,  the  tender  husband  ; 


Diligent  in  Business,  93 

but  I  see  the  face  of  my  beloved  friend,  the  face  that 
often  looked  so  careworn,  those  bright  eyes  of  his 
glowing  with  light,  in  which  even  their  familiar  beauty 
is  quenched,  as  he  hears,  "  Sick  and  in  prison  and  thou 
visitedst  me.     Enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE   CHRISTIAN   LAYMAN. 

IN  1867,  Mr.  Gates  removed  his  residence  to 
Geneva,  111.,  thirty-five  miles  west  of  Chi- 
cago. He  did  business  in  the  city  as  before, 
returning  to  his  home  by  train  every  evening. 
His  health  had  become  impaired,  and  the  enforced 
cessation  of  activity  during  the  rides  to  and  from 
the  city,  together  with  the  quiet  of  the  country, 
did  much  to  restore  his  wasted  energies.  The 
parting  from  his  beloved  pastor  was  a  sore  trial. 
Each  grasped  the  other's  hand  and  said  in  a  tone 
tremulous  with  emotion:  ''God  bless  you,  dear 
fellow ! "  and  then  their  ways  diverged.  It  was 
not  long  afterwards  that  the  pastor  accepted  a  call 
to  the  Berkeley  Street  Church  of  Boston,  and  the 
distance  between  them  was  increased  ;  but  a  corre- 
spondence began  which  was  rich  in  its  evidences 
of  warm  and  unselfish  Christian  love.  The  year 
after  the  separation,  Mr.  Wright  wrote  the  follow- 
ing tribute  to  his  friend  : — 

I  have  seen  many  men,  I  have  known  many  inti- 
mately, and  have  been  loved  tenderly  by  a  few  whom 
the  world  calls  great ;  but  I  have  known  none  other 
whose  character  is  an  inspiration  to  me,  as  is  yours. 
I  have  thought  that  one  of  the  uses  of  your  hard  but 
splendid  life  is  to  stimulate  weak  men  to  strive  more. 

94 


Tlie  Christian  Layman.  95 

In  Geneva,  Mr.  Gates  found  opportunity  to 
gratify  that  love  of  the  country  which  had  lin- 
gered in  his  heart  from  his  youth.  Coming  home 
from  the  work  of  the  day,  out  of  the  toil  and  tur- 
moil of  the  city  into  the  quiet  and  freshness  of 
his  beautiful  home,  he  delighted  to  go  out  into 
the  garden,  to  work  among  the  plants  and  flowers, 
or  to  ride  through  the  country  with  his  wife  and 
children,  often  calling  at  some  farmhouse.  On 
one  of  these  visits,  he  found  the  farmer  just  going 
to  the  barn  with  the  milkpails  upon  his  arm. 
Mr.  Gates  accosted  him  with  hearty  greeting  and 
said:  "Don't  you  want  me  to  help  you  milk?" 
The  farmer,  who  only  knew  Mr.  Gates  as  the  city 
manufacturer,  replied  rather  contemptuously:  "I 
should  like  to  see  you  milk."  Mr.  Gates  at  once 
jumped  from  his  carriage,  seized  a  milkpail,  and 
soon  outstripped  the  farmer  in  the  speed  with 
which  he  milked  the  cows. 

At  other  times  he  would  join  his  children  in 
their  sports  and  run  to  and  fro  in  the  ample 
grounds  surrounding  his  house,  himself  the  swift- 
est runner  of  them  all  and  as  young  in  spirit 
as  any. 

He  was  always  an  early  riser,  and  at  Geneva  it 
was  his  habit  to  ride  from  five  to  ten  miles  on 
horseback  before  breakfast,  returning  in  time  to 
eat  breakfast  and  conduct  the  morning  devotions 
with  his  family  before  he  took  the  seven  o'clock 
train  for  the  city.  With  the  freshening  and  in- 
vigorating of  his  physical  nature  all  the  traits  of 


96  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

the  fond  father  and  loving  husband  came  out  in 
stronger,  clearer  lines.  He  loved  to  gather  his 
children  about  him  under  the  trees  and  read 
to  them  from  Ruskin's  Beauties  of  Nature,  or 
The  Schonberg-Cotta  Family,  or  other  works  of 
good  authors  which  would  kindle  their  interest 
in  God's  world  and  God's  thoughts.  Often  on 
Sabbath  afternoons  they  would  walk  together,  the 
children  delighting  in  the  opportunity  to  vary 
the  quiet  of  the  Sabbath  and  rest  the  active  limbs, 
tired  with  the  enforced  inactivity  of  the  morning 
service,  by  using  them  ;  then,  when  some  shady 
nook  was  found,  they  would  sit  down  upon  the 
ground  and  listen  while  he  read  to  them.  He 
was  a  sympathetic  reader,  the  tones  of  his  voice 
changing  with  every  shade  of  thought  of  the 
author  whom  he  was  interpreting.  Often  in  the 
Sabbath  evenings,  or  when  the  weather  made  it 
impossible  to  gather  out-of-doors,  he  would  open 
the  Bible  and  teach  its  sacred  lessons  with  per- 
sonal applications  and  appeals  that  left  no  doubt 
in  the  minds  of  his  children  as  to  what  he  most 
desired  for  them.  Together  they  studied  the  his- 
tory of  Israel,  with  the  aid  of  maps,  learned  the 
divisions  of  Palestine,  and  placed  the  stories  of 
Old  Testament  worthies  in  settings  that  brought 
out  clearly  the  lessons  of  their  lives.  And  often 
when  bedtime  came  he  would  be  found  sitting  by 
the  bedside  of  some  one  of  those  children,  point- 
ing them  to  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away 
the  sin    of   the  world,  while   he   held   the   little 


The  Christian  Layman.  97 

hands  in  a  clasp  that  spoke  of  the  earthly  father's 
love,  and  gave  a  very  tender  interpretation  to  the 
words,  "  Our  Father,  which  art  in  heaven."  And 
then  he  would  kneel  there  and  pour  out  his 
heart's  desire,  pleading  for  the  divine  blessing 
upon  his  children,  that  they  might  accept  the 
truth  and  yield  their  hearts  to  the  Saviour  whom 
he  had  presented  to  them.  There  was  no  doubt 
in  the  minds  of  his  children  as  to  his  sympathy 
with  them,  and  they  knew  that  nothing  gave 
him  greater  joy  than  to  have  them  come  to  him 
to  know  the  way  of  righteousness.  One  Sabbath 
evening,  when  all  had  retired  except  himself,  and 
he  was  seated  at  the  library  table  writing,  a  white- 
robed  figure  stole  in  and  came  to  his  side.  Look- 
ing down  into  the  troubled  face,  he  asked  with 
kindly  tone;  "What  is  it?"  The  answer  came 
with  a  burst  of  tears :  ''  I  want  to  find  Jesus." 
"  My  child,"  he  said,  "  Jesus  wants  to  find  you." 
And  then  after  words  of  counsel  and  prayer,  the 
little  one  went  back  to  bed ;  but  the  father  still 
kneeled  in  gratitude  to  God,  and  then  and  there 
he  consecrated  his  child  to  the  Lord's  ministry, 
if  it  should  be  his  will  to  accept  the  offering. 
Years  afterward,  in  writing  to  one  of  his  sons, 
Mr.  Gates  said :  ''  Among  the  bright  spots  along 
the  years  of  care  and  toil  are  the  Sundays  spent 
with  you  children.  How  sweet  thc}^  were  to  me! 
and  they  lifted  the  week-day  load  of  care,  anxiety, 
and  labor." 

In  Geneva,  Mr.  Gates  found  a  struggling  church 


98  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

to  be  aided.  He  deplored  the  fact  that  a  village 
of  two  thousand  inhabitants  should  have  seven  or 
eight  churches.  This  seemed  to  him  a  waste  of 
strength  and  money,  which  he  could  never  have 
tolerated  in  his  own  business,  and  was  no  less 
grievous  to  him  in  his  Lord's  business.  But  he 
felt  that  the  church  where  he  worshiped  had  a 
right  to  his  support,  and  he  gave  it  freely.  He 
threw  himself  into  the  work  so  earnestly  that  the 
faithful  pastor  and  counselor  of  former  years  soon 
wrote  to  him  in  this  strain :  — 

I  cannot  sleep  until  I  warn  you  against  the  danger 
of  taking  the  Geneva  church  bodily  upon  your  shoul- 
ders. I  greatly  fear  that  you  are  doing  so.  In  Chi- 
cago I  am  sure  that  it  would  have  been  better  for  the 
church  if  you  had  not  suffered  it  to  lean  upon  you  so 
much.  It  is  better  to  strengthen  a  man's  legs  than  to 
carry  him  upon  your  shoulders.  Is  it  not  so,  my  dear 
friend  ? 

For  a  year  he  served  as  superintendent  of  the 
Sabbath-school,  besides  carrying  a  large  share  of 
the  burdens  of  the  church.  In  1868,  Rev.  H.  M. 
Whitney  became  pastor  of  the  church,  and  a  cor- 
dial friendship  at  once  sprang  up  between  him  and 
Mr.  Gates.     Mr.  Whitney  says  :  — 

I  valued  him  beyond  expression  as  a  parishioner 
and  as  a  personal  friend.  He  knew  what  I  was  trying 
to  do.  A  good  sermon  was  likely  to  be  followed  by 
an  appreciative  word  or  a  warm  grasp  of  the  hand. 
A  poor  sermon  or  a  mistaken  step  of  the  pastor  was 


The  Chrlstimi  Layman,  99 

considerately  dealt  with,  if  only  by  kindly  silence. 
He  had  frequent  headaches,  and  his  daily  ride  of 
seventy  miles  on  the  cars  was  a  poor  preparation  for 
attendance  at  the  prayer-meeting  ;  but  bis  talks  were 
rich  in  their  spiritual  helpfulness.  Among  my  most 
valued  recollections  are  those  of  walks  taken  with  him 
in  the  darkness  after  evening  service,  for  then  we 
uttered  our  largest  and  most  aspiring  and  most  Chris- 
tian thoughts.  He  little  knew  how  the  young  man 
who  was  struggling  to  master  himself  and  to  do  the 
work  of  an  evangelist  lived  and  grew  on  the  spiritual 
aliment  that  he  received  from  his  lay  elder  brother  in 
those  eager  walks. 

Here,  as  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Gates  showed  what 
a  layman  may  do  for  his  minister,  how  the  parish- 
ioner may  strengthen  his  pastor. 

In  1871,  Mr.  Whitney  was  called  to  the  chair 
of  rhetoric  in  Beloit  College.  In  the  interim  that 
followed  his  departure,  before  the  church  secured 
a  pastor,  Mr.  Gates  often  filled  the  pulpit,  either 
by  reading  a  sermon  or  giving  one  of  his  earnest 
talks.  One  Sabbath  morning  the  people  assem- 
bled for  worship  and  discovered  that  no  provision 
had  been  made  for  the  su})ply  of  the  pulpit.  Mr. 
Gates  was  not  2)resent.  One  of  the  deacons  went 
to  his  house  and  found  him  in  bed  suffering  from 
a  sick  headache.  But  when  he  knew  that  the 
people  were  waiting  for  the  word  of  God,  he  arose 
and  went  and  ministered  unto  them. 

In  the  fall  of  1871,  two  of  Mr.  Gates'  sons,  Will 
and  Frank,  followed  their  pastor,  Mr.  Whitney, 


100  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

to  Beloit  College,  entering  the  preparatory  depart- 
ment, and  in  the  following  year  Mr.  Gates  re- 
turned to  Chicago  and  made  his  home  upon  the 
west  side  of  the  city.  In  the  years  that  followed, 
while  his  sons  were  in  college,  Mr.  Gates  visited 
Beloit  from  time  to  time,  and  showed  his  interest 
in  the  college  in  many  ways.  Professor  Whitney 
says :  — 

His  visits  were  always  greatly  enjoyed.  I  have 
especially  in  mind  one  visit  when,  as  superintendent 
of  the  Sabbath-school,  I  pressed  him  into  service  to 
speak  at  the  Sunday-school  concert.  The  study  for 
the  quarter  had  been  upon  the  life  of  Joseph,  and 
he  drew  lessons  from  that  life  in  a  way  that  fairly 
entranced  us  all.  The  form  was  wholly  extempora- 
neous, but  for  strictness  of  method,  naturalness  of 
connection  with  the  subject,  purity  of  diction,  aptness 
of  vocabulary,  sweetness  of  tone,  and  combination  of 
instructiveness  and  helpfulness,  I  have  never  known 
it  surpassed  by  the  most  elaborate  sermon.  Our  pas- 
tor, Dr.  Bushnell,  came  to  me  as  soon  as  he  could,  to 
say  :  "  Who  is  your  friend,  and  where  did  he  get  such 
extraordinary  command  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  ? "  He 
was  a  diligent  reader  of  the  very  choicest  books  and 
the  one  book  he  studied  most  was  the  Bible. 

It  may  be  added  that  he  was  reaping  now  the 
harvests  of  those  years  of  self-discipline  in  his 
early  life,  when  he  schooled  himself  to  express 
his  thoughts  in  his  journal,  and  by  much  writing 
acquired  the  chaste  and  forcible  diction  of  his 
later  years. 


The  Christian  Layman.  101 

Men  were  drawn  to  him  by  the  sweetness  of 
his  character  and  the  surety  they  felt  of  his  sym- 
pathy. Professor  Whitney  says:  "I  never  felt 
toward  any  other  man,  not  of  my  own  blood,  as 
I  felt  towards  him.  Our  inability  to  keep  hold 
of  him  after  the  graduation  of  his  boys  was  to 
my  wife  and  myself  one  common  grief.  When 
we  spoke  of  it  to  him,  he  had  that  far-away  look 
that  used  to  come  into  his  eyes  at  times,  which 
meant  that  the  zeal  of  the  Lord's  house  had  eaten 
him  up." 

When  Mr.  Gates  returned  to  the  city,  refreshed 
and  strengthened  by  his  sojourn  in  the  country, 
his  active  mind  still  carried  on  the  processes  of 
thinking  and  investigating,  only  the  themes  were 
no  longer  those  of  Nature,  but  rather  those  which 
pertained  to  the  good  of  his  fellow  men.  As  he 
lived  and  moved  among  the  crowds,  he  longed  to 
help  them  and  do  them  good.  His  mind  was  ever 
active.     Says  Dr.  Wright :  — 

One  of  the  most  characteristic  qualities  of  his  mind 
was  its  alertness.  He  interested  himself  in  all  things, 
and  few  men  could  talk  so  intelligently  upon  so  many 
subjects.  I  remember,  a  few  years  —  perhaps  eight 
years  —  before  his  death,  while  he  was  visiting  rae  in 
Boston,  the  conversation  brought  in  the  name  of  the 
Providence  Tool  Company.  The  theme  once  broached, 
he  delighted  the  company  with  a  complete  history 
of  a  watch-spring  from  the  time  it  left  the  mine, 
through  the  pig  iron,  until  it  was  set  in  a  Walthara 
watch.     This  was  wholly  outside  the  line  of  his  own 


102  A  Christia7i  Business  Man. 

business,  but  it  did  not  surprise  me.  His  infor- 
mation also  was  sure  to  be  exact.  He  had  one  of  the 
rarest  of  gifts,  the  ability  to  distinguish  between  what 
he  knew  and  what  he  did  not  know.  It  was  this  fac- 
ulty of  close  observation  and  iron  memory  which  made 
his  talks  so  interesting  upon  all  subjects  that  were 
suggested  at  missionary  meetings.  He  felt  keenly  his 
inability  to  go  through  college  and  resolved  to  make 
up  for  that  deprivation  as  best  he  could.  He  began 
early  in  life  by  training  himself  to  remember  and  write 
down  as  much  as  he  could  of  the  Sunday  sermons, 
and  he  gained  such  facility  that  in  later  years,  after 
listening  to  an  address  on  any  theme,  he  could  report 
all  the  important  thoughts  and  much  of  the  language  ; 
and  to  this  faculty,  acquired  by  long  and  laborious 
practice,  is  attributable  in  large  measure  his  wide  and 
accurate  information. 

Few  men  have  used  time  so  scrupulously.  He  never 
learned  how  to  be  idle  and  he  never  learned  how  to 
rest.  His  life  would  have  been  longer  if  he  had. 
Indeed  he  was  one  of  God's  burden-bearers.  If  there 
was  a  load  to  be  lifted,  his  irresistible  impulse  was  to 
put  his  shoulders  under  it  and  lift.  Even  when  per- 
suaded by  those  who  loved  him  better  than  he  loved 
himself  to  take  a  vacation,  he  did  not  know  how  to 
stop  working.  The  intense  energy  that  he  showed  in 
his  business  was  not  relaxed  in  his  play  and  he  did 
more  work,  though  of  a  different  kind,  perhaps,  in  a 
six  weeks'  vacation  than  many  a  man  does  in  a  year  of 
business. 

To  him  rest  meant  a  change  of  employment, 
not  inactivity,  wliich  was  irksome.     His  readiness 


The  Christian  Layman.  103 

to  assume  burdens  finds  illustration  in  an  incident 
related  by  Rev.  G.  S.  F.  Savage,  d.d.  :  — 

In  1872,  before  Mr.  Gates  had  any  official  connec- 
tion with  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  much 
against  my  will  1  was  elected  treasurer  of  that  insti- 
tution. Tlie  seminary  was  deeply  in  debt  and  its 
income  wholly  insufficient  to  meet  its  annual  expenses. 
It  was  just  after  the  great  Chicago  lire,  which  had 
crippled  many  of  the  supporters  of  the  seminary  in 
their  resources,  and  the  condition  of  its  affairs  was  ex- 
tremely critical.  I  was  very  unwilling  to  assume  the 
responsibility  of  caring  for  its  finances  ;  but  finally 
agreed  to  leave  the  question  of  acceptance  to  the 
decision  of  a  few  personal  friends.  After  laying 
before  them  the  embarrassed  condition  of  the  semi- 
nary's finances  and  saying  to  them  that  if  they  advised 
me  to  accept  the  treasurership  I  should  expect  them  to 
contribute  generously  to  its  funds,  I  laid  the  matter 
before  Mr.  Gates  and  said:  "  Now  if  you  advise  me 
to  take  this  responsibility,  I  shall  expect  you  to  back 
it  up  with  a  contribution  of  85,000."  "Well,"  he 
said,  "  I  think  it  is  a  clear  case  as  to  your  duty,  and  if 
you  had  come  to  me  last  week,  I  would  have  considered 
the  proposition  ;  but  I  have  just  pledged  $3,000  to  the 
church  at  Geneva,  on  condition  they  enlarge  their 
church  building,  and  I  do  not  see  how  I  can  do  more 
than  that  at  present."  But  after  a  few  moments'  re- 
flection he  said  :  "  If  you  will  accept  the  treasurership, 
I  will  pledge  you  $1,000  to-diiy  and  I  will  talk  with 
my  wife  ;  if  she  consents,  I  will  make  it  S''),000."  He 
afterwards  paid  the  last-named  sum  in  full,  and  from 
time  to  time  added  other  thousands. 


104  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

He  once  gave  up  a  summer  vacation  which  he 
greatly  needed  in  order  that  he  might  contribute 
to  the  seminary. 

For  about  six  years  Mr.  Gates  was  a  member 
of  the  First  Congregational  Church,  having  the 
Rev.  E.  P.  Goodwin,  d.d.,  for  his  pastor.  He  was 
one  of  the  deacons  of  the  church  and  had  a  class 
of  girls  in  the  Sunday-school,  many  of  Avhom 
found  the  Saviour  under  his  guidance.  He  was 
always  in  his  place  at  church  and  Sunday-school, 
unless  prevented  by  illness.  The  pastor's  wife 
says :  "  One  of  my  clearest  recollections  of  him 
was  his  attendance  upon  the  early  morning  prayer- 
meetings  during  the  Week  of  Prayer.  He  would 
come  in  the  coldest  weather,  taking  the  time  from 
business."  And  his  pastor  said  in  a  memorial 
address  :  "  The  church  has  now  and  then  a  happy 
illustration  of  what  the  grace  of  Christ  can  do  in 
the  hearts  and  lives  of  his  disciples.  Such  an 
illustration  is  furnished  by  Deacon  Caleb  F.  Gates. 
I  knew  him  for  some  years  as  his  pastor;  knew 
him  when  the  sky  was  unclouded  and  the  home 
circle  unbroken ;  knew  him  when  the  shadows 
thickened  and  the  death  angel  came ;  knew  him 
in  years  of  financial  stringency,  when  the  carry- 
ing on  of  church  enterprises  and  the  raising  of 
church  debts  proved  men ;  knew  him  in  the  Pru- 
dential Committee,  in  the  Sunday-school  and  in 
the  mission  school,  in  the  prayer  room  and  in  the 
inquiry  room,  and  he  was  to  me  as  a  sort  of  John 
Knox  or  Augustine." 


The  Christian  Layman.  105 

In  his  journal  we  find  frequent  records  of  Dr. 
Goodwin's  stirring  sermons,  to  which  he  w^as  a 
sympathetic  and  attentive  listener. 

In  1874,  Mr.  Gates  was  chosen  a  member  of  the 
Auditing  Committee  of  the  Chicago  Theological 
Seminary,  and  in  1885  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  and  of  the  Executive 
Committee,  to  which  was  added  the  office  of  vice- 
president  in  1888.  In  regard  to  these  offices  he 
wrote :  ''  I  am  unworthy  of  all  these  trusts  and 
keenly  feel  my  lack  of  fitness.  Pray  for  me,  that 
God  may  give  me  the  needed  wisdom  and  grace." 

In  his  relations  to  the  seminary  he  was  thrown 
into  frequent  intercourse  with  Dr.  Savage,  who 
has  recorded  his  impressions  of  him  in  these 
words :  — 

I  had  abundant  opportunities  to  note  the  qualities 
of  mind  and  heart  which  made  him  so  beloved  and 
useful.  He  was  always  prompt  and  faithful  in  attend- 
ing the  meetings  of  the  directors  and  of  the  Execu- 
tive Committee.  He  gave  much  valuable  time  and 
business  ability  to  caring  for  the  finances  of  the  semi- 
nary, and  was  himself  a  generous  giver.  He  not  only 
gave  large  gifts  of  thousands  of  dollars  toward  per- 
manent endowments,  but  very  frequently  gave  smaller 
amounts  to  meet  temporary  emergencies.  Often  at 
the  meetings  of  our  Executive  Counnittee  there  would 
be  small  bills  to  be  paid  when  there  were  no  funds  in 
the  treasury,  or  there  was  some  aid  to  be  given  or 
some  desirable  object  to  be  secured  for  which  there  was 
no  provision.     In  such  cases,  his  favorite  expression 


106  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

was,  "Well,  brethren,  let  us  chip  in  and  pay  it." 
And  he  was  always  ready  to  "chip  in "  to  the  full 
measure  of  his  proportion.  At  one  time,  being  desir- 
ous that  the  students  in  the  seminary  should  all  take 
part  in  the  chapel  services  by  responsive  readings  of 
the  Bible,  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  fifty  Bibles 
and  donated  them  for  this  purpose.  His  rare  business 
qualities,  his  kind  and  genial  nature,  his  unselfisluiess, 
his  practical  good  sense,  his  generosity,  and  his  deep 
and  abiding  interest  in  every  good  cause  won  my 
highest  respect  and  my  love.  Seldom,  if  ever,  has  any 
man  attached  me  so  strongly  or  held  me  so  closely. 

Mr.  Gates  was  anxious  that  the  theological  stu- 
dents should  engage  in  practical  Christian  work, 
and  at  their  request  he  came  to  the  seminary  and 
delivered  an  address,  in  which  he  urged  the  impor- 
tance of  such  work  both  for  the  good  they  could 
do  and  the  benefit  to  themselves. 

His  interest  in  the  Chicago  Theological  Semi- 
nary led  his  son  Frank  thither  to  prepare  for  the 
ministry  instead  of  going  to  an  eastern  seminary, 
as  he  had  desired.  His  father  said :  "  I  would 
like  to  give  the  seminary  a  son ;  I  have  already 
given  it  money."  At  the  same  time  his  son  Wil- 
liam was  studying  medicine,  so  that  there  were 
realized  in  the  service  of  his  sons  two  aims  which 
were  dear  to  him  —  care  for  the  bodies  and  the 
souls  of  men. 

The  same  interest  in  the  seminary  led  him  later 
on  to  give  f5,000,  which  was  to  be  expended  in 
furnishing  an  alcove  Avith   missionary  books    and 


The  Christian  Layman.  107 

charts,  in  order  that  the  students  might  be  able  to 
study  the  cause  of  missions.  And  in  1889  he 
gave  the  reports  of  the  London  Missionary  Con- 
ference to  every  member  of  the  graduating  class 
to  awaken  their  interest  in  missions. 

In  1878,  Mr.  Gates'  family  suffered  a  sore  be- 
reavement. Death  had  already  visited  the  house- 
hold and  taken  away  three  little  ones  in  their 
infancy.  Now  the  fifth  son,  Edward,  a  bright  lad 
of  sixteen  years,  was  removed.  He  had  been 
injured  internally  the  year  before,  in  a  railroad 
accident,  and  the  injury  finally  developed  an 
abscess  from  which  he  suffered  greatly  for  eight 
months,  slowly  wasting  away.  Mr.  Gates  was 
most  constant  in  his  loving  attentions  to  the  sick 
boy,  and  especially  did  he  labor  and  pray  that  he 
might  find  his  Saviour.  Edward  had  been  care- 
less in  matters  of  religion,  and  was  at  first  rebel- 
lious against  the  Providence  which  had  laid  him 
on  a  bed  of  sickness  and  pain ;  but  after  a  time 
he  yielded  himself  without  reserve  to  God.  From 
that  time  there  was  a  marked  change  in  his  char- 
acter. His  Bible  and  Bible  Text  Book  were  con- 
stantly by  his  bedside,  and  the  little  Bible  soon 
showed  the  course  of  his  reading  and  study  in 
its  marked  passages.  The  severest  suffering  was 
borne  without  a  murmur.  Day  and  night  those 
who  watched  beside  him  heard  no  complaint.  He 
was  solicitous  that  all  his  brothers  should  know 
his  faith  and  share  it  with  him.  At  his  own 
request   he    was    received   into   the    church    and 


108  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

partook  of  the  communion  in  the  sick  room,  and 
when  at  last  his  frame  was  worn  out  with  cruel 
suffering  and  the  spirit  took  its  flight,  th3  pallid 
lips  were  murmuring,  "Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee, 
nearer  to  thee." 

In  his  father's  journal  this  record  of  his  last 
hours  was  found  :  — 

About  an  hour  and  a  half  before  his  death,  I  was 
sitting  beside  the  cot,  and  was  not  sure  whether  he 
was  asleep  or  not,  but  ventured  to  sing  in  a  low  tone 
''  Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee."  He  immediately  caught 
up  the  first  few  words  in  feebleness.  I  sang  through 
the  first  verse  and  then  said  :  "  Eddie,  would  you  like 
to  have  Lizzie  play  and  we  sing  a  few  of  our  familiar 
hymns?"  He  replied  quickly  :  "Oh,  yes."  T  called 
Mary,  Lizzie,  Will,  and  Frank.  While  we  were  hesi- 
tating a  moment  as  to  what  we  should  sing  first,  Eddie 
said  distinctly,  "Number  thirty-three,"  thus  showing 
in  a  way  very  precious  to  us  whither  his  thoughts 
tended.  Ah,  that  when  my  last  hour  comes  I  too  may 
say  :   "  Trusting  Jesus,  that  is  all "  ! 

The  example  of  that  sick  room  was  not  lost. 
The  victory  won  there  stilled  every  doubt  in  the 
mind  of  his  brother  and  shaped  the  course  of  his 
life.  It  was  after  Edward's  death  that  his  father's 
long-cherished  wish  was  gratified  by  seeing  his 
son  Frank  choose  the  Christian  ministry  as  his 
profession. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FOREIGN    MISSIONS. 

MR.  GATES  was  always  interested  in  the 
cause  of  foreign  missions.  He  dated  his 
interest  in  missions  from  the  lessons  he  learned  in 
childhood  at  the  knee  of  his  Aunt  Nancy.  In  1882 
he  wrote  to  Mr.  Charles  Hutchins,  of  the  American 
Board  :  — 

The  June  number  of  The  Missionary  Herald  is  un- 
usually good.  I  learned  to  read  out  of  The  Herald  tifty 
years  ago,  under  the  supervision  of  my  aunt,  who  is 
now  in  heaven.  I  had  to  get  the  sense  and  then  give 
it.  If  it  had  been  then  what  it  is  now,  I  think  I  should 
have  enjoyed  it  more,  but  it  was  a  good  schooling, 
and  mv  love  for  missions  dates  back  to  that  time. 

Mr.  E.  W.  Blatchford,  who  was  for  many  years 
associated  with  Mr.  Gates  in  business,  writes  of 
his  interest  in  missions  :  — 

A  prominent  trait  of  Mr.  Gates'  character  was  the 
thoroughness  with  which  he  studied  every  subject  that 
interested  him,  amounting  oftentimes  to  enthusiasm. 
His  interest  in  missions  was  shown  in  the  Monthly 
Concerts  when  he  was  connected  with  the  Old  South 
Congregational  Church  of  this  city.  The  means  for 
obtaining  information  about  the  work  of  our  mission- 
aries were  not  so  abundant  then  as  now.     Whatever 

109 


110  A  Christian  Business  3fan. 

books  and  maps  could  be  obtained,  Mr.  Gates  had,  and 
when  he  could  not  find  the  maps  he  needed,  he  often 
made  them  himself,  in  order  that  he  might  exhibit  to 
the  church  a  clear  view  of  missionary  work  in  the  world. 

Some  idea  of  the  effect  of  those  talks  may  be 
gained  from  the  words  of  his  pastor,  written  many 
years  after:  "  I  felt  almost  no  interest  in  foreign 
missions  until  your  talk  in  the  Sunday  evening 
meeting  about  Polynesia,  which  was  followed  by 
a  series  of  talks  on  the  Zulus." 

"  I  well  remember,"  said  Mr.  Blatchford,  "  his 
joy  when  the  decision  was  made  that  his  son  Frank 
would  represent  him  in  the  Christian  ministry. 
During  a  business  trip  made  about  this  time  to 
Colorado  he  learned  much  of  the  needs  of  this 
and  the  adjoining  states  ;  and  from  his  familiarity 
with  their  growth,  their  prospects  for  a  grand  fu- 
ture, and  their  spiritual  needs,  his  mind  naturally 
turned  toward  our  western  states  and  territories  as 
the  field  for  his  son's  labors.  His  son  also  made 
a  trip  of  observation  through  the  same  region  and 
his  interest  was  kindled  in  the  West.  But  during^ 
the  closing  months  of  his  seminary  course  he  heard 
a  voice  calling  in  another  direction  with  divine 
power.  The  Turkish  missions  were  brought  to 
his  attention  through  the  secretaries  of  the  Ameri- 
can Board,  and  Mardin  station  was  presented  to 
him  as  a  field  of  great  need,  offering  possibilities  of 
large  usefulness.  After  much  prayer  and  delibera- 
tion, he  recognized  the  call  as  of  God  and  i)r()mptly 


Foreign  Missions,  111 

communicated  to  his  father  the  decision  he  was 
compelled  to  make.  To  liini  it  was  a  surprise  and 
at  first  a  disappointment.  The  night  after  his 
son's  letter  was  received  was  a  sleepless  one. 
Through  its  long  hours  he  paced  the  floor,  his 
parental  heart  wrestling  with  the  question  which 
involved  so  many  and  such  conflicting  elements. 
But  then  and  there  the  fact  was  realized  that  God 
had  called  his  son  to  the  foreign  field  and  that  he 
must  move  forward  in  that  work." 

The  consecration  made  so  many  years  before  in 
the  library  at  Geneva  was  renewed  again  with 
tears  of  parental  love  and  pain.  He  had  given 
his  son  to  the  Lord  again.  The  question  was 
never  reopened.  In  every  way  in  his  power  he 
encouraged  and  aided  his  son  to  prepare  for  the 
work  upon  which  he  entered  a  few  months  later, 
in  September,  1881. 

"  How  thoroughly  Mr.  Gates  identified  himself 
with  this  beloved  son's  work,"  says  Mr.  Blatch- 
ford,  *'  can  only  be  realized  by  those  to  whom  in 
the  intimacy  of  daily  life  he  spoke  of  this  sub- 
ject which  lay  with  constant  and  tender  pressure 
upon  his  Christian  father's  heart.  The  thoughtful 
household  preparation  for  that  untried  foreign  life 
was  made  as  if  the  journey  were  his  own ;  the 
weariness  of  the  long  journey  by  sea  and  plain 
and  mountain  to  that  distant  Mesopotamian  home 
was  his  weariness  ;  the  multiform  trials  in  those 
early  days,  he  bore  ;  the  discomforts  of  the  Mardin 
house  and  its  inhospitable  surroundings  his  sym- 


112  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

pathetic  nature  realized ;  and  when  he  placed  in 
my  hands  the  cable  message  announcing  that  the 
Good  Shepherd  had  gathered  to  his  own  bosom 
the  one  lamb,  —  the  anticipated  source  of  joy  and 
cheer  in  that  little  home, — it  was  to  him  as  if 
one  of  his  own  home  circle  had  been  taken 
away. 

"  But  from  the  bright  side  of  that  earnest  and 
successful  missionary  labor  he  derived  ever-in- 
creasing comfort.  The  work  in  the  consecrated 
home  ;  in  the  school ;  in  the  house-to-house  visita- 
tion ;  in  personal  pleadings  ;  in  missionary  gath- 
erings; the  life  on  the  field;  the  conversions  to 
Christ ;  the  development  of  character,  — •  from  all 
these  experiences  and  more,  conveyed  in  the  let- 
ters which  he  always  carried  with  him,  Mr.  Gates 
derived  real  and  constant  satisfaction  that  not  only 
dwelt  in  his  own  heart  but  was  communicated  to 
others  in  the  meetings  of  the  church,  especially  in 
the  Monthly  Concert,  and  in  the  daily  intercourse 
with  friends.' 

Among  the  papers  found  after  his  death  was 
one  entitled  "  Memoranda  of  Frank's  Journey." 
With  his  wonted  thoroughness  and  accuracy  in 
details,  he  had  noted  down  the  incidents  of  the 
journey,  the  places  where  they  tarried  for  a  night, 
with  often  a  brief  description  of  the  Koordish  vil- 
lages and  the  rough  houses.  The  reception  of  the 
newcomers  by  the  missionaries  and  people  found 
a  place  in  tliis  paper,  and  then  Mr.  Gates  had 
turned  to  ancient  history  and  traced  out  the  history 


Foreign  Missions.  113 

of  Diarbekir  and  Nisibis  and  other  places  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  mission,  gathering  all  the  informa- 
tion he  could  concerning  the  past  history  of  places 
in  whose  present  history  he  had  become  so  deeply 
interested.  He  studied  the  Mardin  missionary 
work  not  only  through  the  regular  and  frequent 
correspondence  of  his  son,  but  through  works  of 
geography,  history,  biography,  and  travel.  In  his 
library,  after  its  studious  occupant  was  called 
hence,  prominent  place  was  found  given  to  mis- 
sionary literature.  During  the  last  years  of  his 
life  this  had  been  a  chief  topic  of  study  with  him. 
Soon  after  returning  from  business,  at  a  time 
which  most  men  devote  to  rest  or  recreation,  his 
habit  was  to  read  and  study  on  this  and  kindred 
themes,  and  then  write  out  his  own  views.  The 
unusual  number  of  papers  found  since  he  left 
bear  witness  to  the  thoroughness  and  breadth  of 
his  investigations.  One  of  these  discusses  the 
subject  of  "  Cooperation  in  Turkey,"  with  respect 
to  the  relations  between  the  missions  and  the  Turk- 
ish churches.  This  paper  shows  an  acquaintance 
with  the  conditions  of  the  field  seldom  attained 
by  one  not  a  resident  of  the  Turkish  empire. 
Another  paper  discusses  ''The  Darkness  of  Hea- 
thenism," drawing  from  heathen  nations  its  fearful 
illustrations.  Another  is  on  "  Religious  Sects  in 
Turkey,"  in  which  the  Greek  and  Armenian 
churches,  the  Maronites,  the  Jacobites,  the  Nesto- 
rian  and  the  Roman  Catholic  churches  and  their 
peculiar  doctrines,  their  numbers  and  influence  are 


114  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

clearly  presented.  There  is  a  paper  on  "  Turkish 
Missions,"  and  another  on  the  question:  "What 
has  been  the  result  of  the  action  of  the  American 
Board  at  Detroit  in  regard  to  Turkish  Missions  ?  " 
The  same  careful  research  and  wise  conclusions 
are  manifest  in  them  all. 

All  this  study  was  not  simply  for  his  own  re- 
freshment. He  realized  that  tlie  work  in  foreign 
fields  is  dependent  in  a  very  large  degree  on  the 
prayers  and  sympathetic  support  of  the  churches 
at  home  ;  and  he  used  the  information  he  had 
gathered  to  awaken  such  interest  in  the  churches. 
He  never  failed  to  remember  the  missionary  work 
in  the  prayers  that  ascended  from  the  family  altar 
night  and  morning.  And  as  a  help  to  prayer,  he 
had  a  little  book  of  "  Missionary  Items,"  in  which 
he  was  wont  to  record  the  names  of  the  mission- 
aries, the  dates  of  their  arrival  upon  their  fields, 
and  the  names  and  ages  of  their  children.  These 
items  were  a  guide  to  his  own  prayers  and  often 
some  little  gift  sent  across  the  seas  cheered  the 
hearts  of  the  lonely  toilers  with  the  assurance  that 
they  were  remembered. 

He  often  visited  the  neighboring  churches  at 
their  monthly  concert  of  prayer  for  missions  and 
spoke  to  them  of  the  work  of  the  kingdom  of 
Christ  in  words  that  glowed  with  enthusiasm.  He 
sought  accurate  and  full  information  concerning 
the  students  in  the  schools  at  Mardin,  their  homes, 
their  character  and  attainments,  and  he  made 
use  of  this  information    to    interest    individuals, 


Foreign  3Ilss{ons.  115 

Sunday-schools,  and  churches  in  tlie  home  land 
in  their  support,  although  this  involved  the  writ- 
ing of  many  letters  on  his  part.  He  kept  a 
record  into  which  he  copied  extracts  from  mis- 
sionary letters,  so  as  to  make  up  a  short  sketch  of 
each  student's  life,  and  from  this  record  he  drew 
the  material  for  letters  which  seldom  failed  to  win 
a  favorable  response.  He  helped  to  build  and 
furnish  the  school  at  Mardin  by  frequent  gifts  of 
money.  When  the  mission  field  was  smitten  with 
famine,  he  was  active  in  collecting  and  forwarding 
generous  sums  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers,  while 
his  weekly  letters  were  a  constant  source  of  cheer 
and  strength  to  the  missionary.  It  would  be  hard 
to  find  a  clearer  example  of  the  participation  of  the 
individual  at  home  in  the  work  abroad  than  is 
given  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Gates.  He  went  into  all 
the  world  and  preached  the  gospel  as  truly  as  if 
he  had  gone  in  person.  He  wrote  at  least  one 
letter  a  week  to  his  son,  and  often  more,  and  these 
letters  came  to  be  expected  as  one  expects  daily 
food.  His  son  leaned  on  them,  knowing  that  he 
was  sure  to  find  in  them  comfort  and  counsel  for 
his  work.  In  the  fall  of  1881,  while  the  son  was 
on  his  way  to  the  field,  came  the  cheering 
words  :  — 

Grandma  Moore  has  the  right  of  it ;  the  short  way 
to  our  friends  is  by  the  way  of  heaven.  Only  a  prayer 
up  and  an  answer  down  !  Oh,  how  sweet  to  have  such 
a  sense  of  a  personal  Christ  and  a  personal  Father  as 
makes  us  restful  at  the  mercv-seat ! 


116  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

And  a  little  later  he  wrote  :  — 

Remember  that  what  God  said  to  Moses,  when  he 
called  him  to  go  down  to  Pharaoh,  is  just  as  true  for 
you:  "Certainly  I  will  be  with  thee"  (Ex.  3:  12). 
Lean  heavily  on  him  and  you  will  be  stayed  up.  En- 
dure hardship  as  a  good  soldier  and  your  Captain  will 
lead  you  to  victory. 

December  2^  1881.  —  I  hope  God  will  give  you  all 
needed  wisdom  and  grace  for  the  duties  of  3'our  station 
and  that  you  will  be  able  to  give  good  counsel  to  native 
teachers  and  churches  ;  but  in  this  make  haste  slowly. 
Prove  yourself  first,  then  your  friends,  and  then  you 
can  draw  them  by  the  bands  of  sympathy  as  well  as 
sound  logic. 

Aiyril  23^  1882. — Our  hearts  go  out  to  you,  our 
prayers  go  up  for  you  every  day.  Sometimes  the  tears 
will  come  and  blur  the  vision,  as  we  read  and  meditate 
npon  your  letters  and  the  life  we  see  through  them, 
but  it  is  not  in  any  spirit  of  wavering  or  drawing  back. 
No,  no,  my  son  !  As  I  look  back,  about  the  only 
consolation  I  have  is  that  through  God  I  have  been 
able  to  help  you  to  a  preparation  for  this  great  work. 
So  far  as  my  own  direct  labors  are  concerned,  they 
seem  but  as  ashes  scattered  to  the  winds  or  water 
poured  out  upon  the  ground. 

One  letter  expressed  the  faith  which  made  it 
possible  to  dismiss  anxiety  for  the  absent  one  : — 

August  17^  1882.  — Of  course  our  papers  are  full  of 
rumors  about  Egyptian  and  Turkish  affairs,  of  decla- 
rations of  war  by  fanatical  Moslem  leaders,  in  which 


Forehjn  Missions.  117 

all  Christian  clogs  are  to  be  exterininated  ;  and  such 
headlines  are  not  soothing  to  mothers.  I  am  too  far 
away  to  judge  correctly  of  the  issue,  but  of  this  I  am 
persuaded  :  God  never  calls  his  servants  into  a  field 
where  he  is  not  able  to  take  care  of  them.  "  Go, 
.  .  .  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world."  We  believe  he  called  vou  to 
Turkey  and  Mardin,  and  that  be  has  you  in  his  divine 
care  and  keeping,  and  there  we  propose  to  leave  you 
with  daily  prayer  for  your  guidance  and  protection. 

In  1883  the  missionary  son  returned  to  his  home 
for  four  months,  and  went  back  to  his  field  with 
a  wife  by  his  side.  One  more  household  was 
linked  to  the  mission  field,  and  Mr.  Gates  was 
drawn  closer  to  his  old  friend,  S.  M.  Moore,  be- 
cause his  daughter  had  gone  to  set  up  the  new 
home  in  Turkey.  Together  they  bade  farewell  to 
the  loved  son  and  daughter,  and  watched  them 
fade  from  their  sight  as  they  sailed  out  of  New 
York  harbor.  Mr.  Gates  had  written  a  letter  to 
be  delivered  on  board  the  vessel.    In  it  he  said  :  — 

M})  dear  children  Frank  and  Nellie^  —  AVhen  you 
read  these  lines  I  shall  be  on  my  way  across  plains 
and  mountains  westward,  and  you  on  your  way  across 
the  ocean  eastward,  toward  your  new  home  on  the 
plains  and  among  the  mountains  whence  came  Abra- 
ham of  old.  Each  passing  hour  will  increase  the 
distance  between  us  by  the  measurements  of  earth, 
but  we  shall  be  nearer  and  nearer  each  other  b}'  the 
way  of  tiie  throne  of  heavenly  grace.  I  go  to  my 
work  in  Chicago,  you  to  your  work  in  Mardin  —  and 


118  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

the  work  is  one.  It  is  our  work  to  leave  the  impress 
of  our  Lord  and  Master  upon  those  with  whom  we 
come  in  contact.  Yours  is  especially  a  glorious  call- 
ing, and  lias  had  through  all  the  ages  the  peculiar 
blessing  of  Him  who  came  to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost. 
To  you  are  many  very  tender  and  precious  promises 
and  they  are  Yea  and  Amen  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 
Don't  fail  to  let  me  know  in  what  ways  I  can  help  you, 
for  it  will  be  my  greatest  joy  to  second  you  in  your 
labors  of  love. 

His  prayer  often  repeated  for  his  son  was  :  "  God 
bless  you  and  make  you  a  winner  of  souls ! " 
And  from  that  time  on  his  letters  bore  at  the  head 
of  the  page  the  motto  :  ''  Turkey  for  Christ !  " 
Nothing  less  than  that  could  satisfy  him. 

That  same  year  he  occupied  the  time  of  an 
evening  service  at  the  First  Congregational  Church, 
reading  a  paper  which  he  had  prepared  for  the 
Illinois  Home  Missionary  Society,  on  "  The  Great 
and  Pressing  Demand  for  Ministers  in  the  Home 
Field."  After  showing  the  urgent  and  immediate 
need  of  two  hundred  men,  and  the  further  need  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men  each  year,  he  urged  the 
necessity  of  a  mighty  volume  of  prayer  to  be 
going  up  from  all  the  churches  in  order  that  the 
young  men  in  our  colleges  and  preparatory  schools 
might  be  consecrated  to  this  work  ;  and  then  he 
laid  it  tenderly  upon  the  hearts  of  fathers  and 
mothers  at  once  to  select  one  at  least  from  each 
family  group  and  give  to  the  Lord  by  a  solemn  set- 
ting apart  for  this  service,  so  that  son  or  daughter 


Foreign  Missions.  119 

should  know  that  he  was  thus  dedicated,  and 
then,  by  prayer  and  daily  influence,  to  cooper- 
ate with  the  Holy  Spirit  in  bringing  about  the 
ratification  of  the  covenant.  He  said :  "  Some- 
how God  seems  to  have  laid  this  burden  upon  my 
heart  and  I  must  carry  it  home  to  the  people." 

To  his  son  his  letters  supplied  in  large  measure 
the  lack  of  stimulating  and  inspiring  influences  in 
the  Turkish  empire.  A  few  extracts  will  show 
something  of  their  power :  — 

November 4,  i<9<95.  —  Turkey  for  Christ!  My  ear- 
nest prayer  for  you  is  that  you  may  come  more  and 
more  into  the  light  of  His  countenance  and  may  feel 
more  and  more  the  undergirdings  of  His  love.  You 
have  work  in  laying  foundations,  work  in  the  line  of 
literature  and  teaching,  but  along  with  them  all  no- 
thing can  compensate  for  a  lack  of  personal  effort  and 
success  in  winning  individual  souls.  In  that  work  we 
seem  to  come  into  closer  intimacy  and  fellowship  with 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Holy  Spirit  than  in  any- 
thing else.  Jesus  died  to  achieve  that  work  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  sent  to  make  it  effectual,  and  we  are 
called  to  be  co-laborers  with  them  and  to  enter  into 
their  fellowship. 

I  am  confidently  expecting  to  hear  of  great  things 
in  Mardin  this  winter.  Single  out  a  few  of  the  most 
spiritually-minded  native  Christians,  and,  with  the 
missionaries,  band  together  to  pray  and  labor  until  the 
blessing  comes.  The  Lord  Jesus  spent  the  whole 
night  in  prayer  previous  to  selecting  his  twelve  disci- 
ples. It  seems  to  me  God  is  constantly  saying  to  us, 
"  O    ye  of    little    faith !  "     Oh,    for   such   power  in 


120  A  Chnstian  Business  Man, 

prayer  as  signalized  Moses,  Samuel,  Daniel,  and  that 
host  of  ancient  worthies,  and  not  less  the  consecrated 
workers  of  our  day.  We  trust  ourselves  too  much,  and 
of  course  are  taught  our  own  weakness  by  severe  les- 
sons, when  we  ought  day  by  day  to  be  testing  more  and 
more  the  power  and  grace  of  God  in  answer  to  his 
challenge :  "  Bring  ye  all  the  tithes  into  the  store- 
house." 

Decembei'  9^  1891.  — I  will  only  repeat  what  I  have 
so  often  urged  before  :  —  Have  a  plan  of  study  and 
stick  to  it.  A  few  moments  each  day,  systematically 
used,  will  accomplish  wonders.  Keep  your  Hebrew 
fresh.  There  is  so  much  in  that  land  to  make  it  inter- 
esting, and  its  value  is  great  in  reading  the  Old  Testa- 
ment ;  and  keep  your  Greek  fresh  for  the  New  Testa- 
ment, and  with  all  this  be  much  in  prayer  for  the 
quickening  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  give  not 
merely  the  true  interpretation  but  such  quick  appre- 
hension of  the  circumstances  in  any  given  case  as  shall 
secure  the  word  in  season  to  the  souls  that  wait  on 
your  ministry.  The  induement  with  power  must  come 
from  on  high,  but  God  can  use  a  well-furnished  mind 
more  effectively  than  a  poorly  disciplined  one.  The 
more  I  know  of  men  the  more  fully  persuaded  I  am 
that  we  want  our  best  men  to  preach  to  the  masses. 
We  want  also  house-to-house  work  that  shall  make 
men  feel  that  we  have  not  simply  a  preaching  interest 
in  them.  Of  all  places,  keep  poor  men  away  from 
missionary  fields  at  home  and  abroad.  Laying  foun- 
dations is  important  work,  and  bad  work  there  en- 
dangers every  course  that  shall  be  built  above .  God 
says  to  you  :  "  Bring  in  the  tithes,"  that  is,  all  your  gifts, 
—  all  you  can  do  or  make  of  yourself,  —  ^'  and  see  if 


Foreign  Missions.  121 

I  will  not  pour  out  my  blessing  upon  them."  Make 
yourself  as  efficient  as  possible  that  with  some  gift  you 
may  win  souls  to  the  Master.  Oh,  for  a  revival  in 
Mardin  !     We  pray  for  it  daily. 

January  IS,  1884. — Turkey  for  Christ!  First  of 
all,  we  have  prayed  with  great  longing  that  you  might 
be  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit  and  fitted  for  your  work, 
and  that  the  native  church  at  Mardin  might  be  revived 
and  quickened  and  made  instrumental  in  winning  souls 
to  Christ.  Somehow  it  has  seemed  to  me  as  I  have 
wrestled  with  God  for  you  that  the  answer  was  given  : 
*'  Behold,  I  will  pour  out  my  Spirit  upon  them."  We 
long  for  the  good  news.  How  it  would  gladden  our 
hearts  !  The  Lord  bless  you  and  keep  you  in  health  of 
body  and  clearness  of  intellect,  but  above  all  in  such 
health  of  soul  as  shall  make  vou  mighty  for  the  proclama- 
tion of  the  truth  and  the  winning  of  souls.  "  What  shall 
a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul?"  That  question 
means  to  you  and  to  me  that  the  winning  of  one  soul 
from  eternal  death  to  life  eternal  outweighs  in  God's 
estimate  the  winning  of  the  whole  world  for  however 
noble  a  purpose  outside  of  the  one  great  end  for  which 
Christ  died  and  rose  again. 

February  5,  1884. — My  heart  was  gladdened  to 
hear  that  there  were  manifestations  of  the  Holy  Spirit's 
presence  in  your  Week  of  Prayer  and  that  the  meetings 
were  to  be  continued.  It  has  seemed  to  me  that  the 
blessing  must  come.  I  have  borne  your  native  church 
and  the  dear  missionary  circle  on  my  bended  knees 
before  the  mercy-seat  day  in  and  day  out,  and  week  in 
and  week  out,  ever  since  you  went  back.  And  as  I 
read  Dr.  Thom's  account  of  the  communion  service 
and  his  action  and  that  of  the  committee  and  church 


122  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

tears  came  into  my  eyes  for  very  joy.     Oh,  that  you 
may  be  blessed  beyond  all  our  thought ! 

March  15,  1884.  — Your  letter  gave  us  great  joy. 
Who  can  doubt  that  God  hears  and  answers  prayer  ! 
For  all  the  weeks  and  months  before  January  1 ,  I  had 
such  burden  for  you  all  that  God  would  give  grace  and 
wisdom  and  that  the  churches  and  pastors  and  helpers 
might  receive  a  fresh  baptism  from  on  high,  and  then, 
somehow,  I  felt  the  burden  lifted.  I  prayed  on,  but 
with  thanksgivings,  and  more  than  once  I  said  :  "  I  feel 
sure  that  the  blessing  is  being  received  in  Mardin." 
The  longer  I  live  and  the  more  I  study  God's  Word  and 
providence,  the  more  persuaded  I  am  that  the  fervent 
effectual  prayers  of  God's  people  are  very  precious  in 
his  sight. 

April  21,  1884,  after  the  death  of  Mrs.  Moore, 
he  wrote :  — 

And  now,  dear  ones,  if  we  can  only  take  the  inspira- 
tion that  our  heavenly  Father  seeks  to  send  us  through 
this  affliction,  how  blessed  it  will  be  for  us  !  Blessed 
are  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord  !  —  there  is  no  doubt 
about  that.  Your  mother  has  gone  into  the  rest  that 
remaineth  for  the  people  of  God,  but  God  spares  us  — 
for  what?  Ah,  if  we  could  only  answer  that  question 
in  our  lives  ;  for  the  great  end  that  we  may  glorify 
Him.  And  how  can  we  most  and  best  glorify  him  ? 
By  bearing  much  fruit,  by  coming  into  closer  sympathy 
with  Jesus  Christ  in  his  great  work  of  saving  souls. 
Yesterday  morning  ushered  in  my  sixtieth  birthday, 
and  your  mother  said  :  "  Now  you  are  entitled  to  rest." 
But  it  seemed  to  me  that  if  I  ever  got  to  heaven  I  would 


Foreign  Missions.  123 

look  back  with  more  pleasure  upon  that  birthday  if  it 
were  spent  pleading  with  men  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  so  I  went  out  to  plead  for  city 
missions. 

At  the  opening  of  each  new  year  he  would 
write :  "  I  have  given  you  the  first  writing  of  my  pen 
for  this  new  year."     January  1,  1888,  he  wrote : 

I  have  sent  up  my  prayer  for  a  New  Year's  bless- 
ing, and  God  may  have  given  it  rich  and  full  already, 
but  for  thirty  days  you  cannot  know  of  my  thought 
through  this  letter.  How  much  better  is  the  way  to 
Mardin  by  way  of  heaven !  I  plead  last  night  with 
God  for  a  rich  blessing  upon  you  and  Nellie,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dewey,  Miss  Nutting,  Miss  Dewey,  the  pastor 
and  all.  the  native  church  and  all  the  workers,  during 
this  Week  of  Prayer.  I  expect  to  hear  good  news  of 
the  precious  work  of  grace.  I  thank  God  that  he  is 
able  to  accomplish  very  much  with  very  feeble  instru- 
mentalities. You  may  be  helping  to  train  a  man  who 
may  be  to  Turkey  what  Huss  was  to  Bohemia  ;  what 
Luther  was  to  Germany  ;  Calvin  to  France,  and  John 
Knox  to  Scotland.  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like 
unto  a  woman  who  hid  a  handful  of  leaven  in  three 
measures  of  meal  until  the  whole  was  leavened.  What 
we  want  is  true  Christian  leaven  to  put  among  the 
masses  everywhere,  and  in  God's  good  time  they  will 
be  leavened.  But  alas,  if  the  leaven  has  lost  its  life 
or  the  salt  its  savor ! 

His  interest  in  missions  took  practical  shape  in 
many  ways.  He  gladly  paid  the  freight  on  his  son's 
outfit  in  order  that  the  money  of  the  Board  might 


124  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

be  free  to  go  in  other  directions,  in  which,  he  said, 
many  would  be  glad  to  give  who  would  not  give 
for  such  an  object  as  that.  He  wrote  words  of 
commendation  when  an  unusually  good  number 
of  The  Missionary  Herald  appeared,  and  he  pur- 
chased and  distributed  many  copies  of  the  Board's 
yearly  Almanac,  hoping  thus  to  kindle  an  interest 
in  missions. 

In  1881  he  was  made  a  corporate  member  of  the 
Board,  and  wrote  acknowledging  the  appointment : 
"  I  have  received  the  certificate  of  corporate  mem- 
bership in  your  society,  and,  though  feeling  myself 
unworthy  of  the  trust,  I  hereby  accept  it,  looking 
unto  Him  who  has  promised  wisdom  and  grace  unto 
all  who  diligently  seek  them.  I  appreciate  the  re- 
sponsibility resting  upon  the  members  of  such  an 
organization  and  cannot  hope  to  be  of  great  service 
to  you,  but  to  the  extent  of  my  ability  I  will  try  to 
do  what  I  can  to  help  on  the  good  work  to  which 
you  are  committed." 

He  was  much  in  demand  for  addresses  at  mis- 
sionary meetings  and  monthly  concerts.  Often 
he  would  take  up  the  life  of  some  missionary  and 
study  it  until  he  had  made  himself  familiar  with 
the  conditions  of  that  field  and  the  details  of  the 
missionary's  work,  and  then  in  his  simple  yet 
graphic  way  portray  it  to  the  great  interest  and 
profit  of  the  hearers.  Many  such  sketches  are 
among  liis  papers,  and  these  addresses  did  much 
to  awaken  and  sustain  the  interest  of  tlie  churches 
in  the  foreign  work. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

HOME   MISSIONS. 

"TTTITH  Mr.  Gates  the  field  of  Christian  activ- 
'  ^  ity  was  one,  whether  the  operations  were 
to  be  conducted  at  home  or  abroad.  Having 
given  a  son  to  the  work  in  foreign  lands,  he  re- 
turned from  the  seaport  where  he  had  said  fare- 
well, to  take  up  with  renewed  earnestness  the 
work  in  his  own  city  and  country. 

Professor  Samuel  Ives  Curtiss,  d.d.,  had  been 
called  in  1878  to  the  chair  of  Old  Testament  Lit- 
erature and  Biblical  Interpretation  in  the  Chicago 
Theological  Seminary.  He  united  sound  biblical 
learning  with  an  earnest  evangelistic  spirit.  He 
soon  began  to  make  explorations  in  the  western 
part  of  the  city  with  a  view  to  establishing  mis- 
sions which  could  be  worked  by  students  from 
the  seminary,  and  eventually  grow  into  self-sup- 
porting churches.  This  idea  commended  itself  to 
Mr.  Gates,  and  he  seconded  Professor  Curtiss'  ef- 
forts with  much  earnestness  and  enthusiasm.  They 
were  both  at  that  time  members  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational Church.  The  proposition  was  made 
that  the  first  missions  should  be  worked  under  the 
fostering  care  of  the  First  Church,  as  branches 
of  it.  Mr.  Gates  did  all  in  his  power  to  assist  in 
cariying   out    the    plan,    which    commanded    his 

125 


126  A  Christian  Business  Mayi, 

hearty  approval  and  interest.     Professor  Curtiss 
says :  — 

He  never  allowed  any  good  cause  to  suffer  through 
waiting  and  indecision  when  it  was  in  his  power  to 
help.  He  was  quick  to  see  and  embrace  an  opportu- 
nity- He  stimulated  the  spirit  of  city  missions  in  the 
churches  with  which  he  was  connected.  In  1879  an 
appeal  was  sent  to  the  {pastor  of  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Church  to  provide  $450  to  secure  preaching  in 
three  missions.  The  money  was  raised  at  once  in  a 
meeting  of  the  Prudential  Committee  ;  largely,  there 
is  reason  to  believe,  through  the  example  and  encour- 
agement of  Mr.  Gates.  This  response  was  timely 
and  had  a  most  important  influence  in  developing 
our  branches.  He  was  an  important  member  of  the 
committee  which  formulated  the  plan  of  our  branch 
churches.  None  of  us  who  were  then  members  with 
him  of  the  First  Church  can  forget  the  enthusiasm 
with  which  he  led  the  way  in  taking  up  the  work  at 
the  Randolph  Street  Mission  and  how  he  shared  in  the 
labors  of  that  noble  enterprise. 

He  was  himself  superintendent  of  that  mission 
for  nearly  two  years,  and  employed  a  Bible  reader 
to  work  in  the  homes  of  the  people  and  obtain 
information  as  to  their  temporal  and  spiritual  con- 
dition. His  sympathies  were  at  once  enlisted 
with  the  people  of  that  destitute  district.  He 
found  his  way  into  their  homes,  and  by  personal 
contact  with  them  informed  himself  of  the  con- 
dition of  those  he  was  trying  to  help.  In  a  letter 
to  his  son  he  wrote  :  — 


Home  Missions.  127 

One  of  our  mission-school  children  was  dying  this 
afternoon  and  is  probably  at  rest  ere  this.  Miss 
Alford,  the  visitor,  told  me  of  the  family  and  the 
boy's  condition  ;  and  so,  as  soon  as  I  had  opened  the 
school,  T  went  up  to  see  them  at  No.  10  North  Halsted 
Street.  The  poor  little  fellow  was  past  recognizing 
any  one,  dying  by  inches.  I  could  do  nothing  but  say 
a  few  words  of  sympathy  and  take  each  member  of 
the  family  by  the  hand.  The  older  sister  said  the 
little  fellow  pleaded  hard  last  Sunday  to  be  dressed 
and  taken  to  the  mission  school,  that  he  might  hear 
the  children  sing  again.  Who  can  measure  the  power 
of  these  songs  ?  And  who  knows  but  they  were  used 
by  the  Spirit  as  the  medium  of  showing  to  his  soul 
Jesus  the  Saviour  for  him  ?  It  was  a  pleasant  thought 
to  me.  And  it  was  pleasant  to  receive  the  kindly 
greeting  of  the  parents  and  older  brothers.  I  said  to 
myself.  Only  be  faithful  in  sowing  beside  all  waters, 
and  God  will  care  for  the  seed,  that  it  fail  not  of 
fruition. 

A  little  later  he  wrote  :  — 

Only  as  we  can  see  in  every  man,  woman,  and  child 
the  outlined  possibilities  of  a  new  creature  in  Christ 
Jesus,  can  we  have  the  completest  success,  nay,  any 
success,  in  winning  souls.  Oh,  if  we  could  only  see  the 
jewels  hidden  beneath  ill-shapen  exteriors  and  rough 
garments  as  Christ  saw  them,  how  we  would  work  to 
dress  away  the  roughness  and  bring  out  the  precious 
stones  and  put  them  into  new  settings  !  I  am  ashamed 
of  professing  Christians  sometimes  when  I  hear  them 
talk  of  "  the  lower  classes,"  the  "  mudsills,"  "  nig- 
gers," "  pigtails,"  etc.,  as  if   it  never   entered    their 


128  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

minds  or  touched  their  hearts  that  God  "•  hath  made 
of  oue  blood  all  nations  of  men,  for  to  dwell  on  all 
the  face  of  the  earth,"  and  sent  his  only  begotten  Son 
into  the  world  to  suffer  and  die  for  them,  that  not  one 
need  perish,  but  that  all  should  know  Him  whom  to 
know  aright  is  eternal  life.  It  makes  my  heart  ache  as 
I  look  upon  the  uncared-for  children  upon  the  streets 
and  think  of  their  future  lives.  Men  and  women  give 
money  and  widen  the  chasm.  What  is  needed  is 
to  give  loving,  personal  service.  That  would  clear 
away  all  the  mists  from  the  spiritual  vision  of  the  givers 
and  make  them  know  the  doctrine  of  Christ;  and  then, 
how  it  would  bridge  over  the  valley  full  of  all  unclean- 
ness  that  is  daily  separating  the  two  ends  of  society 
more  and  more  widely !  Where  does  woman  come 
nearer  to  the  angel  than  when  with  modest  dress  she 
enters  the  homes  of  sin  and  suffering  and  with  gentle 
ways  watches  beside  the  beds  of  the  sick  and  ministers 
to  their  wants  ;  puts  God's  cup  of  salvation  to  the 
lips  of  the  dying  and  teaches  the  little  ones  to  say 
'*  Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven"?  Oh,  for  a  new 
baptism  to  come  down  from  heaven  upon  women  ! 

At  the  end  of  the  first  year  of  his  service  as 
superintendent  of  this  mission,  he  gave  a  report 
in  which  he  outlined  his  thoughts  regarding  the 
kind  of  work  needed  in  the  destitute  parts  of 
the  city.     He    said  :  — 

I  hope  ere  long,  through  the  labors  of  an  inteUigent 
Bible  worker,  to  know  the  number  of  families  in  all 
this  district,  and  the  facts  relating  to  them  as  to  nation- 
ality, church  connection  and  the  lack  of  it,  occupation, 


Home  Missions,  129 

number  and  names  of  children  and  their  ages,  whether 
they  attend  day-schools  or  not,  what  Sabbath-schools 
they  are  connected  with,  if  any,  and  who  among 
them  need  temporal  help  as  well  as  spiritual.  I 
propose  when  possessed  of  these  facts  to  have  them 
so  recorded  that  they  can  be  easily  turned  to,  and  the 
names  of  families  placed  in  pencil  upon  maps  drawn 
upon  a  large  scale.  I  will  use  pencil  so  that  when 
removals  and  changes  occur  the  old  names  can  be 
erased  and  the  new  ones  inserted,  thus  keeping  a  live 
map  of  each  block. 

In  setting  forth  the  needs  of  that  work,  he 
placed  first  the  need  of  consecration,  and  later 
he  drew  oat  a  plan  of  city  mission  work  which  he 
ever  kept  in  mind,  and  toward  the  realization  of 
which  he  was  ever  striving,  in  one  field  and 
another. 

We  want  a  Home  for  such  work.  In  my  judg- 
ment there  should  be  on  every  half-mile  square  of  the 
neglected  portions  of  this  and  every  other  city  of  our 
land  a  center  of  religious  work,  not  in  any  strictly 
denominational  sense  or  way,  but  Christlike,  all-com- 
prehensive. During  the  last  year,  again  and  again 
have  the  children  asked  if  we  could  not  have  meetinsfs 
to  which  their  parents  could  come  ;  but  our  hall  is 
engaged  every  night  of  the  week  in  the  interest  of 
trades  unions  and  labor  societies  of  various  kinds. 
As  the  result  of  my  observations  on  my  field,  I  am 
sure  that  a  home  or  building  of  this  kind  should  give 
ample  accommodation  for  a  small  family,  the  heads  of 
which  should  have  general  and  particular  care  of  the 


130  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

whole,  keeping  it  neat  and  clean  and  suitably  warmed 
and  properly  lighted  for  all  meetings.  It  ought  to 
have  on  its  first  floor  a  pleasant  room,  well-ventilated, 
warmed  and  lighted  by  night,  under  the  care  of  the 
Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  if  you  please, 
with  "Welcome  to  All"  as  fully  and  clearly  dis- 
played upon  its  lamps  as  "  Tom  and  Jerry"  are  upon 
the  saloons.  I  would  have  in  charge  a  suitable  matron 
or  man  to  welcome  every  wanderer  that  crossed  the 
threshold,  and  make  his  call  a  pleasant  and  profitable 
one.  I  would  have  papers  there  for  the  poor  man  to 
read  the  daily  news  ;  and,  to  keep  him  from  tempta- 
tion, I  would  have  somewhere  in  the  room  a  counter 
where  in  winter  a  cup  of  hot  coffee  and  a  sandwich 
could  be  procured  for  five  cents,  and  in  summer  some 
cooling  drinks,  with  a  pleasaut  word  of  interest  thrown 
in.  I  would  have  on  the  tables  for  reading  and  for 
free  distribution  such  pithy  presentations  of  the  laws 
of  health,  temperance.  Sabbath-keeping,  personal  and 
family  economy  and  thrift,  as  would  be  helpful  in  the 
households.  On  every  hand  I  would  have  posted 
prominently  notices  of  the  Sunday-school  and  Bible 
classes,  with  invitations  to  attend.  I  would  have  in 
the  building  a  well-arranged  group  of  rooms  for  the 
Sunday-school,  Bible  classes,  infant  class,  etc.,  so 
arranged  that  they  could  be  easily  thrown  together  for 
general  exercises  and  preaching  services.  I  would 
have  in  this  building  the  place  where  the  Industrial 
School  work  of  the  district  should  center,  supplement- 
ing the  work  of  the  Sunday-school  and  of  the  Bible 
readers.  There  the  mothers  should  be  gathered  for 
familiar  talks  by  suitable  leaders  upon  practical  sub- 
jects relating  to  the  care  of  children,  the  best  methods 


Home  Missions.  131 

of  cooking  ordinary  articles  of  food  for  relish,  econ- 
omy, and  value,  hints  as  to  housekeeping,  and  such 
instruction  in  the  rudiments  of  art  and  good  taste  as 
shall  enable  them  with  an  insignificant  outlay  of  money 
to  make  beautiful  to  husband  and  children  the  one 
window  and  the  circumscribed  walls  of  their  narrow 
homes.  I  would  have  on  this  building  a  cheerful, 
clear-toned  bell  that  should  ring  out  upon  the  sur- 
rounding neighborhood  its  invitations  to  services  by 
day  and  by  night,  and  at  the  open  door  below  that  bell 
I  would  always  have  in  waiting  warm-hearted,  cheer- 
ful-looking, pleasant-speaking  men  and  women,  giving 
personal  invitation  to  enter  and  enjoy  the  service.  I 
would  have  a  working  room  in  this  home  which  should 
be  the  depository  for  statistics  of  the  district,  so  com- 
plete, so  constantly  reviewed  and  renewed  that  it 
should  at  any  time  afford  information  of  the  suffering 
that  needed  either  temporal  or  spiritual  relief ;  and  I 
would  make  this  Home  a  safe  channel  for  gifts  to  the 
really  poor  and  needy. 

I  believe  that  such  a  work  is  needed  and  is  practi- 
cable ;  and  steadily  carried  out,  would  clasp  the  ave- 
nues and  alleys  with  something  better  than  hooks  of 
steel  —  even  the  bonds  of  Christlike  love.  It  is 
sadly  true  that  many  homes  in  this  great  city  are 
not  Christian  in  spirit  and  life.  What  is  our  duty 
in  regard  to  them?  Simply  to  make  them  Christian 
by  doing  just  what  the  Master  did  and  commanded 
his  disciples  to  do  —  let  the  blessed  influences  of 
Christianity  radiate  into  all  the  homes  of  the  city. 
To  do  this  is  not  an  easy  task,  but  it  is  the  appointed 
work  of  Christians,  and  woe  be  to  them  if  they  neg- 
lect it ! 


132  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

This  extract  from  his  report  shows  what  his 
thought  was  in  regard  to  the  social  problems  which 
he  studied  constantly  from  the  standpoint  of  a 
servant  of  Christ.  He  was  deeply  impressed  with 
the  importance  and  power  of  personal  influence 
and  individual  effort.  He  considered  that  these 
are  after  all  the  main  factors  on  the  human  side 
in  the  work  of  reforming  and  Christianizing  the 
masses.     He  wrote  to  his  son,  January  22, 1882  :  — 

I  have  been  thinking  of  several  things,  and  among 
others  this :  Why  are  not  the  windows  of  heaven 
opened  and  a  blessing  poured  out  in  answer  to  our 
Week  of  Prayer?  Perhaps  the  short  cut  to  the  correct 
answer  would  be  found  by  changing  the  question  and 
making  it  more  personal :  Why  am  I  not  blessed  ? 
Would  not  this  way  of  putting  the  question  be  the 
first  step  toward  obtaining  the  blessing  with  very 
many  ?  It  seems  to  me  that  there  are  two  tendencies, 
not  to  say  how  many  more,  that  stand  in  the  wa}^  of 
the  desired  result.  First,  churches  look  too  much  to 
machinery  that,  after  all,  can  be  purchased  with  money. 
Not  that  machinery  is  not  necessary  ;  it  is  quite  neces- 
sary ;  but  fine  churches  and  chapels,  good  music,  a 
popular  and  entertaining  minister,  an  efficient  church 
visitor,  etc.,  may  be,  and  I  fear  often  are  consistent 
with  spiritual  deadness  in  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
church.  Said  a  professing  Christian  to  whom  I  ap- 
plied for  help  and  invited  him  to  visit  the  charity  : 
"  Oh,  you  must  be  contented  if  I  give  you  the  money 
and  you  do  the  work."  Would  not  Christ  have  some- 
thing to  say  to  such  an  one,  if  he  could  get  liis  ear? 
Along  this  same  line  churches  ask  for    extra    efforts 


wme 


Missions,  133 


with  some  great  leader  to  rouse  into  temporary  activity 
the  working  force  of  the  church.  Now  in  all  these 
things  there  is  a  quiet  resting  upon  money  as  that 
which  (to  use  a  coarse  but  emphatic  expression) 
makes  the  mare  go.  As  one  goes  over  the  pages  of 
the  01(1  Testament,  and  still  more  the  New,  how  all 
such  thinking  and  acting  are  rebuked  !  How  the  indi- 
vidual is  called  out  from  the  crowd  and  set  face  to 
face  with  God,  and  plied  w^ith  questions  that  pierce  to 
the  inmost  depths  and  unlock  chambers  of  the  soul 
that  will  not  bear  the  light !  When  we,  as  church 
members,  hear  God  speaking  to  each  one  of  us  and 
saying,  ''  What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?"  then 
"  Bring  ya  all  the  tithes  into  the  storehouse  '"  will  have 
a  personal  bearing  that  means  something.  Giving 
money  is  a  good  thing,  but  it  will  not  answer  as  a 
substitute  for  personal  work  for  Christ.  I  have  been 
struck  by  the  pleas  urged  against  the  Week  of  Prayer 
by  good  people  this  year:  "It  comes  in  a  very  bad 
time  for  business  men,  when  they  have  so  much  to  do 
in  striking  balances,  taking  account  of  stock,  and  pre- 
paring for  annual  meetings";  "I  really  don't  think 
anybody  has  a  right  to  impose  on  us  a  whole  week  of 
prayer  just  at  the  holidays,  when  we  must  exchange 
congratulations  and  have  party  gatherings " ;  and 
again,  "It  is  too  bad  to  have  the  Week  of  Prayer  just 
when  the  boys  are  home  from  college  for  a  few^lays, 
and  we  want  to  make  it  pleasant  for  them."  These 
are  hasty  remarks,  but  they  come  from  the  heart  and 
show  the  drift  of  the  current  down  these  lines.  Sup- 
pose one  of  these  Christian  mothers  spending  time  and 
strength  to  get  up  and  carry  through  a  great  entertain- 
ment, right  in  the  midst  of  the  Week  of  Prayer,  for 


134  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

the  sake  of  her  college  boy,  should  meet  the  Jehovah 
angel  in  her  dressing-room  just  as  the  last  touches 
have  been  given  to  hair  and  costume,  and  hear  the 
question,  What  do  you  most  covet  for  your  boy? 
Would  the  visitor  and  the  question  add  to  the  pleasure 
of  the  evening?  And  as  she  numbered  among  her 
guests  many  who,  rather  than  slight  her  invitation, 
have  concluded  to  forego  the  prayer-meeting  for  that 
evening,  would  the  reflection  increase  her  power  with 
God  in  the  secret  place  of  devotion  ?  When  Christian 
men  and  women  have  gone  out  into  the  highways,  like 
the  apostles,  and  preached  to  men  the  words  of  eter- 
nal life,  there  have  been  wonderful  conversions  of 
drunkards  and  harlots  and  thieves  ;  but  our  churches 
slide  back  from  the  effort  of  extra  prayer-meetings 
into  the  pleasanter  work  of  receptions,  and  all  goes 
merry  as  a  marriage  bell.  Oh,  for  personal  cries  out 
of  the  depths,  O  Lord,  revive  thy  work  in  my  heart ! 
In  the  second  place  it  seems  to  me  that  if  our  pas- 
tors preached  as  if  certain  things  were  to  be  taken  for 
granted  and  not  to  be  forever  debated,  we  should  have 
more  of  the  direct,  personal  "  Thou  art  the  man,"  that 
drives  home  conviction  and  brings  out  the  confession, 
''  I  have  sinned  against  the  Lord."  I  find  so  much 
evil  in  my  own  heart  and  life  that  I  would  speak  with 
great  carefulness  about  those  to  whom  is  committed 
the  unsearchable  riches  of  the  Wortf;  but  I  notice 
that  those  who  handle  the  Word  with  directness  and 
simplicity  seem  to  have  the  most  power  given  them 
from  on  high.  Dear  son,  let  us  pray  that  we  and  all 
we  love  may  dwell  more  and  more  in  the  secret  place 
of  the  Most  High,  and  abide  under  the  shadow  of  his 
wings.     Then  we  shall  certainly  know  more  of  his  will, 


Home  Missions.  135 

for  we  shall  each  for  himself  do  more  and  more  of  his 
bidding.  The  greater  frequency  of  bodily  ailments 
that  lay  me  by  and  leave  me  shorn  of  my  power  ought 
to  make  me  more  open  to  all  spiritual  suggestions  and 
keep  me  attuned  to  the  harmonies  of  the  better  life  ; 
but  alas  for  the  power  of  old  habits,  the  tyranny 
of  business,  the  abject  slavery  of  toil  pursued  for 
unworthy  ends  ! 

It  was  his  ardent  desire  that  the  neglected 
classes  of  the  city  should  be  reached,  which 
caused  him  to  hail  with  delight  the  formation  of 
the  Chicago  City  Missionary  Society.  He  was 
active  in  all  the  preliminary  meetings  which  led  to 
its  formation.  Says  Professor  Curtiss :  "  The  Chi- 
cago City  Missionary  Society  was  largely  the 
product  of  his  mind.  It  is  true  that  no  one  man 
was  the  founder  of  our  City  Missionary  Society. 
When  our  churches  were  made  aware  of  the  needs 
of  the  city,  there  were  men  raised  up  by  the  Lord, 
who  were  admirably  fitted  to  work  together.  But 
there  was  no  one  man  on  the  original  committee 
of  seven  who  prepared  the  way  for  the  society 
and  who  drafted  its  constitution,  that  did  more  to 
form  and  develop  it  than  Mr.  Gates." 

He  was  far  from  claiming  any  such  honor  for 
himself.  He  was  not  seeking  praise  for  himself, 
but  for  his  Master.  He  was  quick  to  recognize 
the  services  of  others  and  give  them  their  due 
merit.  In  speaking  to  the  Lincoln  Park  Church 
regarding  the  City  Missionary  Society,  he  said: 
"  It  is  less  necessary  to  speak  of  its  beginnings  and 


136  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

growth  in  this  church  than  almost  anywhere  else, 
for  your  beloved  pastor  was  largely  responsible 
for  the  thought  of  it.  We  shall  not  soon  forget 
that  first  public  meeting,  held  in  the  lecture  room 
of  the  Union  Park  Church,  to  consider  the  religious 
destitution  of  the  city.  How  the  facts  gathered, 
arranged,  and  presented  by  Rev.  Burke  F.  Leavitt 
smote  upon  our  ears,  stirred  our  minds,  and 
touched  our  hearts,  and  how  his  faithful  labors 
and  wise  counsels  helped  the  band  of  busy  men 
who  met  from  week  to  week  to  compare  notes  and 
formulate  plans  for  the  work !  " 

Rev.  J.  C.  Armstrong,  superintendent  of  city 
missions,  writes  of  the  beginnings  of  the  City 
Missionary  Society  in  these  words :  "  During  the 
autumn  of  1881  the  question  of  city  evangeliza- 
tion began  to  be  discussed  by  the  Chicago  Minis- 
ters' Union.  Attention  was  called  to  the  fact  that 
Chicago,  like  other  large  cities,  was  growing  more 
rapidly  in  population  and  in  material  wealth  than 
in  churches.  It  was  found  that  there  were  large 
tracts,  some  of  them  a  mile  square,  without  a  church 
or  Sunday-school.  At  the  close  of  the  discussion  of 
the  city's  needs,  held  February  6,  1882,  a  commit- 
tee, of  which  Mr.  Gates  was  a  member,  was  ap- 
pointed to  secure  a  conference  of  the  churches  at 
an  early  day  to  inaugurate  a  thorough  system  of 
city  evangelization." 

The  call  for  this  conference  was  issued  on  the 
twenty-first  of  February,  and  it  met  in  the  Union 
Park  Church  on  the  second  of  March  and  listened 


Home  Missions.  137 

to  statements  of  the  spiritual  destitution  of  Chicago 
from  Rev.  B.  F.  Leavitt  and  others,  of  which  Mr. 
Gates,  acquainted  as  he  was  with  the  facts,  said : 
''  They  almost  staggered  our  belief."  Later  Mr. 
Gates  said  of  these  facts:  "It  is  found  that  a  sin- 
gle district  with  only  two  Protestant  evangelical 
churches  embraces  a  population  as  great  as  that 
of  the  entire  New  West.  A  single  ward  with  one 
Protestant  church  and  two  Sunday-schools  has  a 
population  as  large  as  that  of  Peoria  or  Quincy, 
with  all  their  churches ;  and  one  district  almost 
entirely  without  English  Protestant  efforts  of  any 
kind  numbers  seventy-five  thousand  people,  and 
the  population  is  growing  more  rapidly  than  ever 
before.  In  the  providence  of  God,  it  will  depend 
largely  upon  our  efforts  whether  the  oncoming 
generation  in  these  districts  receives  the  gospel 
or  not." 

The  meeting  in  Union  Park  Church  was  one  of 
intense  interest,  and  it  adjourned  to  meet  in  the 
New  England  Church,  April  6.  Over  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  ministers  and  laymen,  repre- 
sentatives of  the  churches,  assembled  there  and 
decided  to  recommend  to  the  churches  the  appoint- 
ment of  seven  gentlemen  from  the  various  congre- 
gations as  an  Executive  Committee  of  Missionary 
Effort,  and  to  apportion  the  necessary  expenses 
among  the  churches.  The  members  of  the  com- 
mittee were  C.  F.  Gates,  R.  E.  Jenkins,  W.  E. 
Hale,  S.  M.  Moore,  F.  S.  Hanson,  G.  F.  Ensign, 
and  Rev.  Burke  F.  Leavitt. 


138  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

"The  meetings  of  that  first  committee,"  says 
Mr.  Armstrong,  "  were  necessarily  numerous,  but 
the  record  shows  that  Mr.  Gates  was  always  pres- 
ent, even  though  at  times  only  three  were  in 
attendance.  He  was  made  either  chairman  or  a 
member  of  all  the  sub-committees  appointed  to 
raise  funds,  to  publish  the  early  reports,  and  to 
present  the  needs  of  the  society  in  the  various 
churches.  The  records  of  those  first  meetings 
are  all  in  his  handwriting.  He  spared  neither 
time  nor  money  to  make  the  society  what  it  is,  the 
right  hand  of  the  churches  in  city  evangelization. 
It  was  the  fitting  thing  that  he  should  be  made  the 
chairman  of  the  first  committee,  and  later  presi- 
dent of  the  society  which  he  had  helped  to  incor- 
porate. He  retained  this  position  until  the  annual 
meeting,  held  in  April,  1887,  when  he  resigned 
it.  And  so  eminent  had  been  his  services  and 
so  highly  was  he  appreciated  that  no  one  could 
be  found  willing  to  occupy  the  position  he  had 
vacated  until  the  annual  meeting  of  the  following 
year.  He  was  also  one  of  the  most  faithful  of  the 
society's  committeemen.  He  was  a  member  of 
three  or  four  committees  to  the  day  of  his  death. 
In  some  cases  he  served  in  the  capacity  of  an  asso- 
ciate trustee  of  mission  churches,  meeting  with 
them  at  regular  intervals  to  discuss  their  financial 
problems,  aiding  them  by  his  practical  wisdom 
and  by  gifts  from  his  own  pocket  when  the  soci- 
ety's treasury  was  empty.  It  was  his  custom  to 
visit  various  fields  with  the  superintendent,  that 


Home  Missions.  139 

he  might  see  their  wants  and  aid  them,  or  that 
he  might  share  in  the  joy  of  their  triumphs.  His 
presence  carried  cheer  and  courage  to  many  strug- 
gling churches  and  missions." 

His  love  for  the  churches  and  desire  to  help 
them  were  greater  than  his  strength.  He  thus 
expressed  himself  to  his  son :  — 

I  would  love  to  go  out  with  our  home  missionary 
superintendent  among  the  churches,  stirring  them  up 
to  self-support  and  house-to-house  work.  It  is  for 
lack  of  cultivation  that  so  many  fields  once  beautiful 
are  gone  to  waste.  Our  ministers  should  study  Paul 
more  as  he  went  from  house  to  house  in  Corinth  for 
three  years,  the  eagerness  of  his  soul  speaking 
through  his  tears. 

And  a  little  later  he  wrote  :  — 

I  am  busy  stirring  up  the  weaker  churches  to  vigor- 
ous lifting  at  the  wheels  before  calling  on  Hercules, 
and  also  in  inciting  the  stronger  churches  to  pray  and 
give  the  needed  funds.  With  the  depressed  business 
of  the  year  it  makes  my  back  ache  sometimes,  but  I 
prefer  to  deny  myself  the  expense  of  travel,  concerts, 
lectures,  etc.,  and  lift  steadily  during  these  hard  times 
when  so  many  let  go.  Oh,  how  sick  and  tired  I  get 
of  soliciting  money  ! 

All  this  was  not  accomplished  without  sacrifice 
and  hard  labor.     In  a  letter  to  his  son  he  wrote : 

I  have  been  placed  by  the  churches  at  the  head  of 
the  Evangelization  Committee.  I  cannot  act  as  chair- 
man and  assume  the  responsibilities  of  the  position. 
I  am  overloaded  now,  and  groan,  being  burdened. 


140  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

His  business  made  heavy  drains  upon  his  time 
and  strength,  but  when  he  became  convinced  that 
it  was  his  duty  to  assume  these  new  burdens,  he 
went  right  forward,  although  often  days  of  busi- 
ness toil  were  followed  by  evenings  of  labor  on 
committees  for  Christian  work,  for  every  day  in 
the  week.  He  made  no  complaint.  Only  to  his 
son  he  wrote  :  — 

So  time  gets  filled  to  the  full.  Better  wear  out  than 
rust  out,  but  sometimes  I  get  weary  with  the  perpetual 
drag.  Oh,  for  such  uplifting  by  the  Spirit  of  God  as 
to  make  labor  a  joy  because  every  part  of  it  is  a  means 
to  the  one  great  end,  the  glory  of  God  !  The  earth 
clasps  us  with  a  tight  grip,  while  heaven  draws  so 
gently  that  we  easily  break  away. 

He  was  well  aware  that  the  burdens  he  was 
bearing  were  too  many  and  too  great  for  his 
strength,  and  that  they  were  shortening  his  life. 
He  wrote,  April  23,  1882  :  — 

On  the  twentieth  instant,  time  marked  off  for  me 
fifty-eight  years  of  life.  By  the  average  tables  of 
mortality  there  are  left  to  me  possibly  fifteen  years 
more,  but  with  the  extra  strain  put  upon  the  working 
machinery  for  so  many  years  of  the  fifty-eight,  the  in- 
ternal evidence  is  against  the  mortuary  tables. 

But  when  once  the  question  of  duty  was  settled, 
it  was  with  him  as  with  the  Apostle  Paul.  Though 
his  lips  were  silent,  his  life  said  more  eloquently 
than  words :  "  I  hold  not  my  life  of  any  account, 
as  dear  unto  myself,  so  that  I  may  accomplish  my 


Home  Missions.  141 

course,  and  the  ministry  which  I  received  from 
the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the  gospel  of  the  grace 
of  God."  And  yet  at  that  same  time  he  was  so 
conscious  of  his  own  un worthiness  that  he  wrote 
under  date  of  June  10,  1882 :  ^^  When  I  look 
upon  my  own  life  and  see  so  little  of  God  in  it,  so 
much  of  selfishness,  so  little  of  that  which  caused 
the  Master  to  press  right  on  to  Jerusalem  and  the 
cross,  I  feel,  at  times,  as  if  there  could  not  be 
salvation  for  me."  He  thought  he  had  nothing  to 
offer  his  Master,  but  to  his  friends  he  seemed  to 
be  truly  giving  his  life  for  others. 

A  little  later  he  wrote  :  "  It  seems  as  if  each 
week  brought  a  little  addition  of  burden  and 
care,  and  sometimes  I  long  for  rest." 

He  was  not  contented  with  the  mere  perform- 
ance of  the  official  duties  which  fell  to  him  in  the 
society,  but  gave  personal  efforts  and  sympathy 
as  well.  He  said  in  describing  the  work  of  the 
society :  — 

A  second  line  of  work  is  the  assistance  of  the  weaker 
churches  already  planted  on  missionary  fields  which 
have  attained  more  or  less  of  growth  and  development. 
From  our  experience  and  observation  we  are  persuaded 
that,  in  many  cases,  money,  though  essential,  is  by  no 
means  the  most  precious  gift  we  can  bestow  upon  such 
organizations.  They  need  sympathy  in  their  strug- 
gles, advice  in  their  church  and  society  affairs,  words 
of  cheer  in  their  prayer-meetings  ;  in  short,  a  practical 
giving  to  them  of  the  right  hand  of  fellowship.  It  is 
only  in  this  way  that  we  can   understand  their  needs, 


142  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

and  so  time  our  pecuniary  help  as  to  make  it  most 
effectual  in  keeping  them  out  of  the  slough  of  discour- 
agement and  stimulating  them  to  fresh  and  more 
vigorous  endeavors. 

He  carried  out  this  principle  in  his  own  practice, 
and  was  often  seen  and  heard  in  the  meetings  of 
the  weak  churches  and  missions,  where  his  visits 
came  to  be  hailed  with  gladness  for  the  cheer  and 
hope  they  brought.  He  was  quick  to  see  and  im- 
prove opportunities  for  helping  these  churches. 
In  one  of  his  visits  he  saw  that  a  certain  church 
would  in  time  need  to  enlarge  its  building,  so  he 
purchased  the  adjacent  lots  and  held  them  until 
the  time  came  when  they  were  needed.  The  pas- 
tor of  one  of  the  weak  churches  had  incurred  a 
debt  while  acquiring  his  education  which  he  had 
never  been  able  to  pay  off.  Mr.  Gates  learned 
this  fact.  The  pastor  made  an  address  at  a  public 
gathering  which  was  very  well  received.  Mr. 
Gates  seized  the  opportunity  to  remove  that  load. 
He  whispered  his  thought  to  one  and  another,  and 
in  a  few  moments  the  money  was  subscribed  and 
the  pastor  relieved  of  the  burden  he  had  carried 
so  long.  Overcome  with  emotion,  he  could  only 
grasp  Mr.  Gates'  hand  and  say,  "  \  thank  you." 
To  help  another  was  a  joy  to  Mr.  (Jates. 

But  the  neglected  classes  of  the  city  lay  upon 
his  heart  with  especial  solicitude.  He  longed  to 
see  the  work  of  the  City  Missionary  Society  pros- 
ecuted vigorously  in  the  most  needy  districts.  He 
urged  that  the  name  of  the  society  should  be  the 


Home  Missions.  143 

Chicago  City  Missionary  Society,  not  the  Chicago 
Congregational  City  Missionary  Society,  hoping 
that  it  would  furnish  a  platform  so  broad  that  all 
denominations  might  work  upon  it  for  the  neg- 
lected ones  of  the  city.  In  1883  he  read  an 
address  before  the  Congregational  Club,  which 
was  remarkable,  not  only  for  its  thorough  treat- 
ment of  the  subject,  but  for  its  literary  merits  as 
well.  It  was  published  in  a  pamphlet  under  the 
title,  "  The  Needs  of  Chicago."  In  this  address 
the  desire  of  his  heart  for  the  neglected  classes 
found  expression,  as  he  spoke  of  the  work  which 
the  society  was  called  to  do :  — 

Labor  in  and  for  the  neglected  districts  of  the  city : 
districts  where  pawnshops  flourish  and  absorb  the 
accumulations  of  former  thrift  and  often  the  gifts  of 
charity  ;  where  saloons,  with  all  their  power  for  evil, 
keep  open  doors  by  day  and  night ;  where  vice  takes 
no  pains  to  conceal  itself  and  crime  finds  many  a 
refuge  ;  where  such  homes  as  our  memory  recalls  are 
few  indeed,  but  children  swarm  in  the  streets  and 
alleys  ;  where  there  are  no  steeples  pointing  upwards 
to  heaven,  no  church  bells  calling  men  and  women  to 
the  place  of  prayer ;  where  too  often  sickness  and 
death  come  without  any  of  those  blessed  ministries 
that  marked  the  life  of  Him  who  went  about  doing 
good.  We  speak  of  them  as  rieglected^  and  so  they 
are  by  us  ;  but  they  are  not  neglected  by  the  politi- 
cians. In  them  are  the  precincts  where  repeating  is  a 
trade,  and  where  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  know  the 
majority  needed,  and  for  the  proper  consideration  it 
is  immediately  forthcoming.     They  are  not  neglected 


144  A  Christian  Business  Man, 

by  the  arch-enemy  of  souls.  Oh,  how  he  plies  his 
recruiting  business  all  up  and  clown  their  streets  and 
alleys  !  How  he  watches  for  the  boys  and  girls  and 
spreads  his  nets  about  their  pathways  !  How  he  lures 
them  into  poolrooms  and  concert-halls,  and  laughs 
with  fiendish  joy  as  they  take  their  first  steps  in  the 
downward  course  that  leads  through  idleness,  intem- 
perance, lust,  and  crime,  to  everlasting  shame  and 
death !  Once  in  a  while  the  veil  is  lifted  from  some 
of  the»se  districts  by  the  public  press  and  the  com- 
munity is  shocked  at  the  revelations.  But,  alas  for 
us  !  we  have  become  so  used  to  the  daily  recitals  of 
vice  and  crime  that  we  are  conscience-seared  and  soon 
relapse  into  indifference. 

Then,  after  setting  forth  the  facts  as  to  the 
spiritual  destitution  of  some  of  these  districts,  he 
adds : — 

What  shall  be  done  for  such  districts?  I  answer, 
just  what  was  done  for  the  great  cities  in  the  early 
days  of  the  church.  Philip  went  down  to  the  city  of 
Samaria  and  proclaimed  Christ  unto  them,  and  there 
was  great  joy  among  the  people.  Paul,  the  great 
apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  and  his  co-laborers  were 
chiefly  engaged  in  the  great  cities  of  their  times  ;  and 
at  Antioch,  Ephesus,  Athens,  Corinth,  Rome,  we  get 
glimpses  of  their  labors  that  show  how  deeply  they 
had  partaken  of  the  spirit  of  the  Master  and  entered 
into  his  plans.  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature."  Only  in  our  case  we 
should  read,  beojinninor  at  Chicasjo  instead  of  Jeru- 
salem.  Divine  Providence  has  armed  the  religion  of 
Christ   with  power   adapted  for  aggression   upon   the 


Home  Missions.  145 

ignorance,  the  vice,  the  misery  which  we  seek  to  en- 
lighten,  to  purify,  and  to  mitigate,  and  to  it  we  must 
look  for  final  victory. 

The  method  of  pushing  such  work,  Mr.  Gates 
held,  was  by  establishing  in  each  sub-district  of 
the  city  such  a  Mission  House  or  church  as  was 
described  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter. 
"  Work  of  this  kind,"  he  said  "  ought  to  be  done 
simply  In  His  Name,  and  without  any  regard  to 
denominational  lines;  but  if  we  cannot  secure 
that  union  of  all  Christians  that  would  enable  us 
to  occupy  many  fields  at  once,  let  us,  as  Congre- 
gationalists  and  citizens,  at  least  enter  some  one 
such  district  and  give  a  practical  illustration  of 
our  thought  and  plan  to  which  we  can  invite  the 
attention  of  others  and  thus  incite  them  to  kin- 
dred enterprises." 

The  motives  which  urged  him  to  such  work  as 
he  described  are  not  left  for  us  to  infer.  He  has 
himself  thus  recorded  them :  — 

There  is  need  of  a  deeper,  keener  sense  of  the  value 
of  human  souls.  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with  his 
infinite  knowledge  of  the  issues  of  this  probationary 
existence,  gave  us  the  standard  by  which  to  measure 
it  in  those  wonderful  words,  "  What  shall  it  profit  a 
man  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own 
soul?  Or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his 
soul?"  And  he  expressed  it  still  more  emphatically 
by  the  price  he  willingly  paid  for  their  redemption. 
When  we  and  the  churches  we  represent  enter  into 
fellowship  with  liini  in  his  i)lans  and  purposes  for  those 


146  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

in  danger  of  eternal  loss,  then  there  will  be  hope  for 
Chicago  and  every  other  city.  We  must  have  a  fresh 
enduement  of  power  from  on  high,  a  new  and  mightier 
baptism  of  that  Spirit  which  wrought  such  marvels  in 
the  days  of  the  apostles.  Nothing  short  of  this  will 
furnish  the  men  and  women  needed  as  teachers  and 
visitors,  the  superintendents  with  personal  magnetism, 
wisdom,  zeal,  and  ability  to  organize  and  lead,  the 
business  men  to  give  their  supervision  and  practical 
aid  in  financial  matters.  That  alone  will  fill  our  The- 
ological Seminary  with  the  choicest  young  men  our 
families  can  furnish  to  be  trained  and  fitted  for  mis- 
sionaries to  these  thousands  and  thousands  of  practi- 
cally heathen  that  live  at  our  very  doors. 

In  closing  the  address  of  which  these  words  are 
a  part,  he  said :  — 

Gentlemen,  as  Christians  and  as  citizens  of  Chicago, 
this  work  is  ours.  We  cannot  expect  any  one  else  to 
do  it.  We  ought  not  to  indulge  any  such  thought. 
In  the  name  of  the  seventy-five  thousand  children  of 
suitable  age  not  in  attendance  upon  any  Sunday- 
school,  and  for  most  of  whom  no  adequate  provision 
is  made  for  their  accommodation,  and  in  the  name  of 
the  homes  represented  ])y  these  children,  we  plead  that 
you  will  take  this  burden  upon  your  hearts  and  carry  it 
back  to  the  churches  you  represent,  until  they  shall 
answer  to  the  call  for  laborers  and  money  by  an  out- 
pouring in  keeping  with  the  interests  at  stake. 

Mr.  Gates  was  in  constant  demand  to  address 
the  churches  on  this  theme.  The  superintendent 
of   city  missions  says :  "  Mr.  Gates  rendered  the 


Home  Missions,  147 

society  invaluable  service  by  the  numerous  ad- 
dresses he  made  in  its  behalf.  Its  wants  as  voiced 
by  him,  either  in  carefully  prepared  papers  or 
coming  impromptu  out  of  his  full  heart,  were 
never  heard  without  exciting  interest.  He  was 
always  in  demand  when  our  churches  wanted  to 
take  a  collection  for  the  society,  because  he  knew 
what  to  say  and  how  to  say  it." 

Frequently  he  was  in  receipt  of  calls  to  address 
three  or  four  gatherings  on  the  same  Sabbath.  He 
did  not  speak  as  an  advocate  for  the  society  so 
much  as  he  pleaded  in  the  name  of  his  Master. 
He  never  allowed  the  society  to  come  between 
him  and  the  Christ  to  whom  he  belonged  and 
whom  he  served  with  such  fidelity  and  singleness 
of  purpose  ;  and  he  never  looked  upon  the  work 
of  the  society  of  which  he  was  president  as  his 
work,  but  only  as  the  work  of  his  Lord. 


CHAPTER   X. 

WORK   FOP.    THE   BOHEMIANS. 

DR.  WRIGHT  says  of  Mr.  Gates :  "  The  key 
to  his  character  was  loyalty.  Whatever  he 
believed  his  duty  he  did  as  an  automaton  obeys 
its  motor.  It  never  occurred  to  him  to  ask 
whether  the  duty  was  pleasant  or  painful.  He 
simply  did  it,  and  found  his  satisfaction  as  an 
incident.  This  was  illustrated  in  his  use  of  money 
for  benevolence.  He  never  waited  for  the  impulse 
of  sympathy  to  move  him,  but  gave  —  and  his  liber- 
ality has  been  rarely  equaled  —  from  principle  and 
systematically.  I  remember  when  the  idea  was 
first  suggested  to  him  that  the  giving  of  a  fixed 
portion  of  time  for  charitable  purposes  might  be 
the  teaching  of  the  Jewish  tithe  system,  as  well  as 
the  giving  of  a  certain  proportion  of  income,  he 
approved  the  suggestion  and  at  once  began  to 
regulate  his  life  in  accordance  with  it. 

"  I  do  not  know  any  other  man  so  controlled  as 
he  was  by  the  consciousness  of  stewardship.  He 
felt  that  all  he  was  and  all  he  had  belonged  to 
God,  and  was  entrusted  to  him  as  depositors 
entrust  their  money  to  a  bank.  When  asked  for 
help  of  any  kind  he  considered  that  there  were 
only  two  questions  for  him  to  decide :  first,  Was 
the  signature  genuine,  that  is,  was  it  God's  work  ? 

148 


Work  for  the  Boheynlans.  149 

second,  Was  he  the  banker  on  whom  the  check 
was  drawn  ?  In  deciding  these  questions  he  was 
as  little  swayed  by  love  of  money  or  thought  of 
self  as  any  man  I  have  ever  known.'' 

But  his  performance  of  duty  was  never  mechan- 
ical. He  loved  the  work  of  the  Lord  with  all  his 
heart,  and  found  a  satisfaction  in  it  which  he 
could  not  find  in  other  things.  His  services  to 
the  cause  of  the  Bohemians  were  services  of  love 
as  well  as  the  performance  of  a  duty  to  which  he 
felt  that  he  was  called  of  the  Lord. 

In  the  autumn  of  1883,  while  attending  the 
meeting  of  the  American  Board,  Mrs.  E.  W. 
Blatchford  had  a  conversation  with  Rev.  H.  A. 
Schauffler,  who  had  recently  begun  his  noble  work 
among  the  Bohemians  of  Cleveland.  The  conver- 
sation turned  to  the  thousands  of  Bohemians  in 
Chicago  and  their  needs,  and  Mrs.  Blatchford 
urged  Mr.  Schauffler  to  come  to  Chicago  and 
examine  the  field  for  work  among  the  Bohemians. 
He  came  and  a  breakfast  was  given  for  him  in  the 
home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blatchford,  November  14, 
1883.  A  number  of  persons  interested  in  city 
missions  assembled  and  listened  to  a  statement  of 
facts  from  Mr.  Schauffler,  which  awakened  their 
interest  and  aroused  their  sympathies.  "  What 
are  you  doing,"  asked  Mr.  Schauffler,  "for  the 
thirty-eight  thousand  Bohemians  in  your  city?" 
They  could  only  reply,  "Nothing."  "Chicago," 
he  continued,  "  has  the  largest  number  of  Bohe- 
mians  of  any    city   in    the    United    States.     The 


150  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

Bohemian  newspapers  are  teaching  atheism,  and 
many  influences  are  at  work  which  will  make  them 
dangerous  to  the  welfare  of  the  city  and  the  state 
unless  they  can  be  brought  under  the  power  of 
the  gospel." 

From  his  large  experience  Mr.  Gates  was  able 
instantly  to  understand  the  conditions  under 
which  work  among  the  Bohemians  might  be  under- 
taken with  hopes  of  success.  "  It  would  be  use- 
less," he  said  to  Mr.  Schauffler,  *'to  undertake 
such  a  work  without  the  right  sort  of  a  man,  one 
who  thoroughly  understands  the  Bohemians  and 
their  language."  "  You  are  right,"  answered  Mr. 
Schauflier,  "  and  I  do  not  now  know  where  the 
man  is  who  is  suited  to  this  work,  but  if  God 
wants  the  work  taken  up  he  can  raise  up  the  man, 
and  you  must  be  praying  for  him."  Two  or  three 
months  later  Mr.  Schauffler  wrote :  "  God  has 
answered  your  prayers,  I  believe,  for  dear  Brother 
Adams,  who  was  my  associate  in  Prague,  will 
probably  not  go  back  to  Bohemia,  and  he  is  of  all 
others  the  man  for  this  work." 

Two  hundred  dollars  were  raised  to  defray  the 
expenses,  and  Rev.  E.  A.  Adams  came  to  Chicago 
to  look  over  the  field.  The  first  meetings  were 
held  in  a  store  rented  for  the  purpose,  on  the 
corner  of  Twenty-first  Street  and  Center  Avenue, 
where  a  mission  had  been  carried  on  for  two  or  three 
years  under  the  name  of  "  The  Lumbermen's  Mis- 
sion." This  was  relinquished  for  the  distinctively 
Bohemian  work,  which  was  prosecuted  there  until 


Work  for  the  Bohemians.  151 

the  first  of  April,  1886.  The  location  was  unfav- 
orahle,  and  there  were  many  disadvantages  from 
the  lack  of  Sunday-school  helps  and  literature  of 
an  evangelical  character  in  the  Bohemian  language. 
At  first  the  Bohemians  were  suspicious,  and  felt 
sure  that  there  must  be  some  ulterior  design  back 
of  these  efforts  for  their  advancement. 

Mr.  Gates  was  very  desirous  that  money  be 
raised  and  a  building  erected  at  once ;  but  he 
found  it  so  hard  to  get  people  interested  in  the 
new  enterprise  that  it  was  thought  best  to  rent 
the  building  for  one  year  and  raise  only  the  money 
for  running  expenses,  with  the  hope  that  the 
results  of  a  single  year  would  so  demonstrate  the 
expediency  of  the  work  that  all  would  recog- 
nize  it. 

He  threw  himself  into  this  new  work  with  all 
the  ardor  of  his  heart  burning  with  love  for  the 
neglected  classes.  Not  content  with  giving  and 
raising  money  for  the  support  of  the  mission,  he 
placed  himself  at  once  by  the  side  of  Mr.  Adams 
and  his  devoted  family  in  their  personal  labors 
among  the  Bohemians.  His  health  was  never 
robust,  and  for  many  years  it  was  always  precari- 
ous ;  but  in  a  closed  buggy  which  he  had  built  for 
the  purpose  he  drove  from  his  home  to  the  field 
of  liis  labors  among  the  Bohemians,  five  miles 
away,  and  was  never  absent  from  his  class  in  the 
Sabbath-school  unless  prevented  by  illness  or 
absence  from  the  city.  In  answer  to  the  question 
why  work  for  the  Bohemians  was  undertaken  he 


152  A  Christimi  Business  Man. 

said:    "Why?     Because    God    wanted    it    com- 
menced and  led  us  into  it  step  by  step." 

The  confidence  that  God  was  in  the  work 
upheld  and  sustained  him  in  the  struggle  that  fol- 
lowed. The  store  in  which  they  met  was  soon 
crowded  beyond  its  capacity.  Four  hundred  and 
fifty  children  were  crowded  into  a  room  which 
could  not  seat  more  than  285,  and  they  were 
forced  to  close  the  doors,  admitting  only  as  many 
as  they  could  seat.  For  a  time  two  services  were 
held,  the  children  who  presented  red  cards  being 
admitted  to  one,  and  those  who  presented  white 
cards  to  the  other.  The  room  was  absolutely 
without  ventilation  and  the  air  soon  grew  foul. 
In  an  appeal  to  the  churches  for  help  Mr.  Gates 
said :  "  We  are  now  crowded  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  is  impossible  to  do  good  work,  and  the  air 
is  often  so  foul  that  it  is  quite  seriously  detrimen- 
tal to  health;  indeed  some  excellent  workers  have 
had  to  give  up  going  there  because  it  made  them 
sick."  But  neither  foul  air  nor  the  winter  storms 
kept  him  from  the  work  in  which  he  had  enlisted. 
He  wanted  to  know  all  about  the  people  in  whom 
he  had  become  so  deeply  interested,  so  he  applied 
himself  to  study,  with  his  wonted  accuracy  and 
thoroughness,  the  geography  and  history  of  Bohe- 
mia. The  results  of  this  study  appear  in  his 
papers.  Among  them  we  also  find  sketches  of 
the  lives  of  Bohemian  heroes,  and  studies  as  to 
the  number,  cliaracter,  and  condition  of  the  Bohe- 
mians in  this  country. 


Work  for  the  Bohemians,  158 

Rev.  Henry  A.  Stimson,  d.d.,  of  St.  Louis,  has 
recorded  the  following  in  regard  to  Mr.  Gates' 
work  for  the  Bohemians :  — 

The  sight  of  this  single-minded  and  simple-hearted 
business  man  giving  himself  so  unselfishly  to  help 
them  and  their  children  produced  an  impression  in 
the  Bohemian  community,  hardened  as  it  is  by  infidel 
teachings  and  anarchical  clubs,  which  was  deepened 
by  the  following  incident :  Mr.  Gates  had  purchased 
three  unoccupied  lots  in  the  edge  of  the  Bohemian 
district,  the  only  lots  which  could  then  be  obtained, 
and  he  was  holding  them  until  the  money  could  be 
raised  to  build  a  chapel.  He  had  been  sick  for  a  few 
weeks,  and  on  his  return  to  the  field  he  discovered 
that  a  brick  building  was  going  up  on  one  of  his  lots. 
He  began  to  make  inquiries  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
soon  found  himself  surrounded  by  an  eager  and 
excited  crowd  whose  words  he  could  but  imperfectly 
understand.  He  gathered  from  what  he  heard  that  a 
Bohemian  was  putting  the  savings  of  many  years  into 
a  house  on  a  lot  w^hich  he  had  mistaken  for  his  own. 
In  the  course  of  a  few  days  he  sent  for  the  man  to 
come  to  his  office.  He  came,  accompanied  by  a  Bohe- 
mian lawyer ;  but  Mr.  Gates  amazed  and  delighted 
him  by  transferring  the  lot  to  him  at  the  price  at 
which  he  had  acquired  it,  with  the  addition  only  of 
interest  on  the  investment.  Meanwhile  the  account 
of  the  situation  had  spread  among  the  Bohemians,  and 
they  were  commenting  upon  it.  "  Now,"  it  was  said, 
"  you  will  see  what  these  Christians  are  after.  They 
will  get  you  into  their  power,  and  then  squeeze  every 
dollar  out  of  you "  —  with  more   to  the  same  effect. 


154  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

When  at  last  the  facts  were  known  the  revulsion  of 
feeling  was  tremendous.  This  quiet  pale-faced  busi- 
ness man,  who  came  so  regularly  from  his  beautiful 
home  and  his  great  business,  in  all  weathers,  to  teach 
them  about  Jesus  Christ,  was  generous  after  a  fashion 
which  they  could  not  understand. 

Mr.  Gates  wrote  concerning  this  new  work  to 
which  he  had  set  his  hand  :  — 

It  certainly  looks  as  if  the  Lord  were  leading  us 
into  that  field,  and  as  if  the  way  had  been  prepared  for 
a  bountiful  harvest  by-and-by.  Of  course  it  will  be 
slow,  save  as  the  Spirit  is  manifest  in  power  and  gives 
efficacy  to  the  work;  but  the  young  Bohemians  have 
lost  all  faith  in  the  Catholic  Church,  and  want  some- 
thing better  than  the  atheistical  tirades  served  out  to 
them  in  their  communistical  halls. 

From  the  first  he  had  large  views  of  the 
methods  of  work  to  be  used,  and  desired  that 
suitable  provision  be  made  in  the  new  building  for 
many  lines  of  effort.  In  June,  1884,  he  wrote  to 
his  son :  — 

My  health  has  not  been  sufficiently  vigorous  the  last 
few  weeks  to  admit  of  as  much  work  as  I  ought  to 
have  done  in  view  of  the  demands  of  our  Bohemian 
work,  which  is  to  be  taken  up  permanently  by  Rev. 
E.  A.  Adams  next  September.  We  must  have  lots 
and  a  building,  and  I  want  one  with  a  high  basement 
and  two  stories.  The  basement  is  to  be  used  for  a 
reading-room  and  kindergarten ;  the  first  floor  for 
the  Sunday-school,  Bible  classes,  and  preaching  serv- 
ices ;  and  the  second  floor  shall  have  rooms    for  the 


Work  for  the  Bohemians.  155 

janitor  and  the  Bohemian  missionary,  and  for  socie- 
ties, and  one  or  two  bedrooms  for  missionaries  who 
may  carry  on  special  work  in  French,  Norwegian,  and 
Swedish.  I  wish  that  our  business  was  profitable  just 
now,  that  I  might  spare  larger  sums  for  this  work 
and  that  I  could  labor  more  hours  without  such 
depressing  weariness  of  body  and  mind. 

Shortly  after  this  he  wrote  again  :  — 

I  mean  to  ease  off  in  the  line  of  business,  but  ex- 
pect to  have  my  hands  full  of  Christian  work,  much 
of  w^hich  involves  care  and  anxiety.  For  your  expres- 
sions of  love,  confidence,  and  respect,  I  thank  vou. 
My  life  has  been  to  me  one  of  many  failures  and 
much  hard  service  ;  I  have  other  things  to  live  for 
besides  money.  With  so  much  wealth  assured  to  our 
country  by  the  abundant  harvests,  it  seems  as  if  there 
must  come  a  change  for  the  better  in  business  before 
long,  and  I  hope  to  so  organize  my  business  as  to 
have  more  leisure  for  travel  and  work  for  the  Master. 
[It  was  his  long-cherished  desire  to  visit  his  son  in  his 
missionary  field.]  I  have  no  desire  to  amass  a  for- 
tune, but  I  do  love  to  be  able  to  give  for  Christ's  work 
and  to  help  my  children.  Oh,  for  more  of  Christ! 
This  is  the  want  of  the  Church  ;  it  is  my  want.  "  Thou, 
O  Christ,  art  all  I  want !  "  If  each  professed  follower 
were  really  filled  with  Christ,  how  the  world  w^ould 
ring  with  notes  of  victory  ! 

At  this  time  his  life  was  one  incessant  round  of 
activity.  Frequently  he  would  attend  three  mis- 
sions on  the  Sabbath  besides  the  morning  service 
of  the  New  England  Church.     Leaving  his  home 


156  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  in  order  to  arrive 
at  the  Bohemian  Mission  in  time  for  the  English 
Sunday-school,  which  was  held  at  nine  o'clock,  he 
would  teach  his  class  of  girls  and  return  to  the 
New  England  Church,  arriving,  as  he  often  said 
''  in  time  for  the  collection,"  which  he  considered 
an  important  part  of  the  service.  In  the  after- 
noon he  often  went  to  the  Sedgewick  Street  Mis- 
sion, which  had  been  established  by  the  New 
England  Church  largely  through  his  efforts, 
where  he  would  teach  a  class  if  any  were  left 
without  a  teacher.  The  hour  of  evening  service 
often  found  him  in  some  mission  church. 

He  was  a  thorough  and  systematic  Bible  stu- 
dent and  an  interesting  teacher.  His  habits  of 
Bible  study  made  it  possible  for  him  on  short 
notice  to  explain  the  meaning  of  Scripture  pas- 
sages, illustrating  the  truth  with  the  results  of  his 
close  observation  and  ripe  experience.  On  one 
occasion,  entering  the  little  church  in  the  village 
where  he  was  spending  the  summer,  he  was 
informed  that  the  preacher  who  was  expected  had 
failed  tliem,  and  he  was  invited  to  occupy  the 
pulpit.  He  gave  a  talk  full  of  interest  and  spiritual 
helpfulness,  which  held  the  attention  of  all. 
Among  the  papers  he  has  left  are  notebooks  filled 
with  the  results  of  his  searching  study  of  the  Sun- 
day-school lessons,  and  papers  on  such  themes  as 
the  following :  Laying  aside  the  Weights,  The 
Cliild  Jesus,  The  Tabernacle,  The  Practical  Nature 
of  the  Christian  Heliijfioii,  The   Bible  Doctrine  of 


Work  for  the  Bohemians.  157 

Responsibility  applied  to  Corporations,  Spiritu- 
ality, The  Person  and  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
With  him  a  clear  word  of  God  was  the  end  of 
every  matter,  and  it  was  to  the  Word  of  God  that 
he  was  accustomed  to  go  for  guidance,  inspiration, 
and  strength.  This  habit  of  recourse  to  the  Word 
and  patient  study  and  comparison  of  its  passages 
made  him  an  instructive  and  inspiring  speaker. 
His  own  estimate  of  his  services,  however,  was 
a  very  modest  one,  and  in  the  last  years  of  his 
life  he  gave  frequent  expression  to  his  sense  of 
sin  and  shortcoming.  January  1,  1885,  he  wrote 
to  his  son  :  — 

I  have  been  housed  up  since  last  Saturday  night 
by  a  cold  and  its  effects.  When  I  catch  cold  at  this 
time  of  the  year  it  shakes  me  all  to  pieces  and  leaves 
me  so  weak  that  I  lose  my  grasp  on  Him  who  should 
be  my  covert  and  hiding-place  in  all  such  hours.  Phys- 
ical weakness  has  something  to  do  with  it  no  doubt, 
but  lack  of  faith  and  entire  consecration  lie  close 
behind  the  trouble  and,  I  am  afraid,  are  the  sources 
of  it.  I  am  sorry  to  have  my  income  cut  off  at  this 
time  of  year  for  two  reasons  :  first,  because  it  will  be 
impossible  to  give  as  much  for  the  spread  of  the  gos- 
pel as  I  have  been  giving  ;  and  second,  because  it  may 
require  some  more  self-denial  in  personal  expenses 
than  we  have  practiced  of  late  years.  And  yet  per- 
haps the  heavenly  Father  saw  that  I  needed  to  give 
more  of  sympathy  and  personal  help  in  winning  souls 
and  that  I  had  unwittingly  been  doing  my  work  by 
})roxy  altogether  too  nuich. 


158  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

He  was  wont  to  say  that  we  must  invest  our- 
selves in  the  Master's  work. 

In  August,  1886,  he  again  gave  expression  to 
his  consciousness  of  ill-desert :  — 

Surely  if  our  God  were  not  longsuffering  and  ready 
to  pardon  abundantly  all  who  go  to  him  with  broken 
and  contrite  hearts  there  would  he  nothing  left  for  us 
but  despair.  The  longer  I  live  the  more  the  sense  of 
the  sinfulness  of  my  own  heart  alarms  me.  I  find,  as 
Paul  found,  that  the  old,  carnal  heart  is  there  unsub- 
dued by  grace,  and  the  fight  still  goes  on.  But  thanks 
be  to  God,  there  is  victory  for  us  all  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord.  To  him  I  cling,  in  him  I  trust,  and 
his  promise  is  good. 

Ten  days  later  he  wrote  again :  — 

As  I  spent  the  week  before  last  in  the  house  it 
gave  me  time  for  thinking,  serious  thinking,  and  as  I 
have  studied  from  day  to  day  the  subjects  on  the  card 
for  the  Week  of  Prayer  I  have  been  led  to  self- 
examination  and,  I  trust,  to  confession  of  sin  and  a 
more  hearty  consecration  of  myself  to  God.  With 
my  income  cut  off  so  largely  this  year  I  have  had  to 
go  over  the  question  of  benevolence  and  study  the 
law  of  Christian  giving  and  plan  my  own  course  by  it. 
When  one  who  has  been  used  to  giving  generously, 
according  to  the  world's  estimate,  is  obliged  to  cut 
down  some  appropriations  and  forego  others  entirely, 
and  cannot  go  into  particulars  as  to  his  reasons  for 
doing  so,  he  is  liable  to  be  misjudged  and  perhaps 
censured,  and  yet  one  must  act  in  view  of  all  his  cir- 
cumstances.    If  one  has  reserved  capital  upon  which 


Work  for  the  Bohemians.  159 

he  can  draw  at  such  times  without  prejudice  to  his 
creditors  aud  his  family,  I  think  he  ought  to  keep  up 
his  gifts,  all  the  more  because  so  many  have  no  re- 
serves upon  which  to  fall  back,  and  when  income  is  cut 
off  have  only  the  mites  to  cast  into  the  treasury.  I 
have  tried  to  look  at  the  question  from  God's  side  as 
well  as  my  own,  and  have  decided  that  I  ought  not  to 
make  obligations  this  year  beyond  the  tithe  of  the 
income  I  can  reasonably  expect.  If,  by  the  blessing 
of  God,  1  have  more  to  give,  I  must  be  sure  to  remem- 
ber the  obligation.  It  was  not  without  considerable 
struggle  that  1  came  to  this  conclusion,  but  having 
settled  it,  I  am  at  rest. 

Mr.  Gates  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  tTieme 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  he  studied  it  at  home  during 
that  Week  of  Prayer  when  he  was  confined  to  the 
house  by  sickness.  He  expressed  his  thoughts  in 
the  weekly  letter  to  his  son  :  — 

There  can  be  no  doubt  about  the  efiBciency  of  the 
Spirit  and  his  sufficiency  ;  the  trouble  is  with  us  in  our 
lack  of  desire  and  failure  to  comply  with  the  condi- 
tions. One  thing  I  do  believ^e :  that  his  power  is 
largely  to  use  the  truth,  and  that  unless  we  go  prayer- 
fully to  the  Word  of  God  (Ps.  119:  18),  unless  We 
appreciate  the  saving  power  of  the  Word  (Ps.  119: 
11),  unless  we  love  it  (Ps.  119:  97-105)  so  that 
l>ours  of  musing  and  meditation  are  given  to  its  sacred 
truths,  the  material  will  be  lacking  which  the  Spirit 
has  appointed  for  his  own  steady  and  effectual  use. 
1  believe,  furthermore,  that  there  must  be  prompt  and 
willing  obedience   to  the  commands  and  suggestions 


160  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

of  the  Spirit.  "  He  that  hath  my  commandments,  and 
keepeth  them,  he  it  is  that  loveth  me  :  and  he  that 
loveth  me  shall  be  loved  of  my  Father,  and  I  will  love 
him,  and  will  manifest  myself  to  him.  .  .  .  But  the 
Comforter,  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father 
will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall  teach  you  all  things, 
and  bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance,  whatsoever 
I  have  said  unto  you.  ...  If  ye  keep  my  com- 
mandments, ye  shall  abide  in  my  love."  The  promise 
is  not  simply  to  hearers  of  the  Word,  but  to  doers 
of  the  Word,  and  1  profoundly  believe  that  if  we 
habitually  respond  to  the  suggestions  of  the  Spirit 
and  do  practical  work  for  Christ  we  shall  come  more 
and  more  into  a  condition  in  which  we  shall  be  able  to 
discerli  the  mind  of  the  Spirit.  Lack  of  conformity 
to  God's  law ;  God  not  in  all  our  plans  ;  only  a  par- 
tial surrender ;  something  between  us  and  Jesus 
Christ,  —  these  are  hindrances  to  holiness,  to  a  faith 
with  wings  and  a  peace  and  joy  that  make  the  heart 
sing. 

He  said:  "As  I  read  my  Bible,  there  is  but  one 
thing  for  the  Christian  when  the  Lord  clearly 
makes  known  his  will,  and  that  is,  to  up  and 
do  it." 

It  was  the  constant  influence  of  such  motives 
as  these  which  kept  him  so  incessantly  engaged  in 
Christian  work. 

But  it  was  not  only  in  Christian  work  that  Mr- 
Gates  recognized  the  need  of  divine  guidance. 
He  was  equally  conscious  of  his  need  of  the 
direction  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  business  affairs. 
A  month  later  he  wrote  again  :  — 


Work  for  the  Bohemians.  161 

As  president  of  the  Union  Shot  Association  I  was 
enabled  so  to  preside  as  to  secure  prompt  attention  to 
business,  clear  the  table  of  a  large  amount  of  trouble- 
some matter,  and  render  a  more  than  ordinarily  large 
number  of  decisions  to  the  satisfaction  of  all,  at  any 
rate  so  far  as  impartiality  was  concerned  and  a 
correct  interpretation  of  our  constitution.  I  give 
God  the  thanks,  for  1  went  into  the  meeting  from 
long  and  earnest  pleading  on  my  knees  for  divine 
guidance. 

At  another  time  he  said :  "  Oh,  how  easy  it 
would  be  to  do  business  if  all  professing  Chris- 
tians looked  upon  the  things  of  others  as  well  as 
their  own,  and  were  willing  to  bear  one  another's 
burdens." 

The  work  for  the  Bohemians  lay  upon  his  heart 
continually  with  a  close  and  tender  pressure.  He 
could  hardly  engage  in  any  prolonged  conversa- 
tion without  shaping  the  talk  to  this  theme.  It 
was  a  grief  to  him  that  all  his  brethren  did  not 
see  the  wisdom  and  importance  of  pushing  that 
work  as  he  saw  it.     He  wrote :  — 

I  am  well  aware  that  I  have  not  the  full  sympathy 
of  the  churches  in  this  special  branch  of  our  city  mis- 
sionary work.  Many  say:  "What  is  the  use  of 
spending  so  much  time  and  money  on  such  unpromis- 
ing material,  when  there  are  so  many  open  doors 
among  the  Scandinavians  with  promise  of  quicker 
harvests?  "  I  answer  :  "  Admitting  all  you  say  about 
the  Swedes  and  Norwegians,  what  do  you  propose  to 
do  with  the  Bohemians?     Will  they  become  better  by 


162  A  Christian  Business  Man, 

neglect?  As  they  throw  off  the  papacy,  will  they  be 
made  safer  citizens  by  falling  into  the  hands  of  atiie- 
ists  and  communists?  An  avowed  atheist  publishes 
the  Bohemian  newspaper  which  is  most  widely  circu- 
lated in  this  country,  and  while  he  is  doing  much  to 
break  the  power  of  the  Romish  priesthood,  he  is  also 
destroying  the  confidence  of  the  people  in  God  and 
the  Bible  by  illustrated  articles  published  every  Sun- 
day in  which  he  makes  fun  of  sacred  things."  I  say 
to  men  not  Christians  :  "  You  can  well  afford  to  give 
largely  to  me  to  help  permeate  their  homes  with  the 
gospel  of  Christ,  because  it  will  make  them  better 
citizens  and  render  your  property  more  secure."  I 
believe  the  Lord  is  in  this  work  and  he  will  lead  us  on 
with  larger  and  better  results.  I  never  so  longed  for 
money  as  now,  simply  that  I  may  spend  it  in  carrying 
on  Christian  work.  I  find  greater  pleasure  in  this  line 
than  in  visiting  or  attending  club  meetings,  and  yet 
my  health  has  prevented  me  from  doing  as  much  as 
nsual  this  winter.  However,  the  Lord  knows  what  is 
best,  and  I  am  content  to  do  what  I  can. 

A  little  later  he  wrote  again :  — 

A  slight  friction  has  developed  between  the  members 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  City  Missionary 
Society.  Some  would  prefer  to  spend  their  money  on 
the  better  class  of  fields,  where  by  the  aid  given  Con- 
gregational churches  may  reasonably  be  expected  at 
an  early  day,  and  they  did  not  approve  of  taking  up 
work  among  the  Bohemians  with  the  large  expense 
attending  it.  1  have  heard  sundry  reports,  and  seen 
the  drift  of  opinion  for  some  time  back.  While  I 
fully   appreciate    the    necessity   of    seizing    strategic 


Work  for  the  Bohemians,  1G3 

points  and  holding  them  for  Congregational  churches, 
I  should  never  have  given  time,  strength,  and  money 
as  I  have,  had  not  the  thought  of  the  neglected  classes 
been  constantly  before  me.  From  that  quarter  dan- 
gers to  state  and  city  thicken ;  from  those  godless 
homes  issue  streams  full  of  deadly  ])oison,  fatal  not 
only  to  themselves  but  to  us  all ;  hence  I  would  push 
work  among  these  classes  simply  in  His  name  and  by 
the  power  of  the  gospel  to  purify  these  homes  and 
sweeten  them.  If  life  and  health  are  spared  to  me, 
I  can  appeal  to  business  men  of  other  denominations 
for  help  to  carry  on  the  work  at  Clinton  Street  and 
among  the  Bohemians,  where  I  could  not  appeal  to 
them  for  church  extension.  I  have  no  desire  to  bend 
the  society  to  any  plans  of  my  own,  but  if  the  churches 
endorse  that  policy  I  shall  have  to  go  out  among  my 
business  friends  and  secure  funds  to  give  the  Bohe- 
mian enterprise  a  fair  trial.  If  God  is  in  the  move- 
ment, a  way  will  be  opened  ;  if  he  is  not,  then  we  had 
better  drop  it. 

A  way  was  opened  ;  the  opposition  gave  way 
as  niucli  before  his  own  earnestness  and  devotion 
to  the  work  as  from  any  other  cause. 

The  money  came  slowly.  In  April,  1886,  the 
mission  was  moved  to  somewhat  better  quarters 
at  No.  670  Throop  Street,  but  these  also  were  soon 
overcrowded.  A  church  of  thirty-six  members, 
called  the  Bethlehem  Church,  was  organized  on 
the  thirtieth  of  March,  1888,  a  few  days  after  the 
organization  of  the  first  Bohemian  church  in  this 
country  at  Cleveland.  The  Bethlehem  Church 
numbered  among  its  members  Rev.  E.  A.  Adams, 


164  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

Mrs.  Adams,  and  three  of  their  daughters.  This 
devoted  family  had  taken  up  their  residence  near 
the  church  in  order  that  they  might  the  better 
forward  its  work.  On  this  occasion  Mr.  Gates 
presented  a  communion  set  to  the  newly  formed 
church.  It  was  received  by  the  people  with  tears 
of  gratitude  and  many  words  of  thanks  spoken  in 
broken  English,  or  poured  forth  in  their  own  lan- 
guage. The  words  were  unintelligible,  but  the 
language  of  the  eyes  and  the  warm  pressure  of 
the  hand  were  unmistakable.  Mr.  Gates  rejoiced 
over  the  formation  of  the  church  and  was  deeply 
impressed  with  the  importance  of  this  event  in 
the  life  of  that  community.  Writing  about  it  he 
said :  "  If  I  lived  nearer,  I  would  take  a  letter  and 
join  the  little  Bohemian  church,  and  try  to  get  a 
few  others  to  do  the  same.  Thus  we  would  form 
a  nucleus  of  experienced  workers  and  help  to 
develop  these  young  Bohemian  Christians.  I 
really  believe  this  is  the  only  way  to  do  it  with 
any  hope  of  success." 

In  the  spring  of  1888  Mr.  Gates  applied  himself 
earnestly  to  the  work  of  raising  money  for  the 
building  which  was  so  greatly  needed,  and  ground 
was  broken  the  following  year.  Two  or  three 
times  Mr.  Gates  was  laid  aside  by  illness  while 
the  work  was  going  on.  It  was  a  great  trial  to 
him  to  be  forced  to  give  up  even  for  a  day  the 
work  which  was  so  dear  to  him.  One  of  these 
times  of  illness  came  when  money  was  urgently 
needed  for  the  prosecution  of  the   work  on  the 


Work  for  the  Bohemians.  165 

building,  and  his  anxiety  in  regard  to  it  was 
retarding  his  recovery.  Some  of  his  friends  dis- 
covered this  when  they  came  to  visit  him.  When 
they  spoke  of  the  Bohemian  church  his  eyes  filled 
with  tears  and  he  turned  his  face  to  the  wall. 
They  went  away  determined  that  he  should  carry 
that  burden  no  longer.  Many  friends  responded 
nobl}^  to  their  appeals,  the  money  needed  to  com- 
plete the  building  was  raised,  and  the  burden 
lifted  from  Mr.  Gates'  heart.  It  was  an  act  which 
gave  him  greater  joy  than  anything  which  could 
have  been  done  for  himself.  He  referred  to  it 
with  gratitude  at  the  dedication  of  the  church, 
saying,  "  I  shall  never  forget  the  alacrity  with 
which  so  many  sprang  to  the  rescue  and  provided 
funds  when  I  lay  upon  a  bed  of  sickness  for  weeks 
unable  to  continue  the  work  of  solicitation." 

Health  came  back  to  his  enfeebled  frame  and  he 
said :  ''  If  I  can  only  get  the  building  up,  I  shall 
feel  that  I  have  not  lived  in  vain." 

The  burdens  were  weighing  him  down.  He 
strove  to  conceal  them  from  those  who  were 
carrying  on  the  work,  lest  they  should  become 
discouraged,  but  to  his  son  he  wrote :  •'  Some- 
times it  seems  as  if  I  must  lay  the  burdens  down 
and  rest.  I  find  that  while  the  spirit  is  willing  the 
flesh  is  weak." 

And  as  another  year  was  drawing  towards  its 
close  he  wrote  :  "  When  I  think  of  what  I  might 
have  been  and  done  had  I  only  planned  my  life 
first   for    Christ,    and  made  all  of   business   and 


166  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

pleasure  adjust  themselves  to  that,  I  mourn  that 
the  harvest  is  not  richer.  We  try  to  grasp  too 
much  of  earth  and  find  our  arms  filled  with 
emptiness  and  no  sheaves  for  the  Master.  Oh, 
that  my  life  and  cliaracter  might  be  brought  more 
into  harmony  with  God's  Word,  for  I  know  that  if 
I  am  out  of  harmony  with  that  I  am  out  of  har- 
mony with  God  himself." 

When  the  new  year  had  opened  he  said :  ''  The 
year  past  has  had  so  much  weariness  of  the  flesh 
for  me,  especially  in  its  beginning  and  ending,  it 
has  shown  me  conclusively  that  I  have  lost  my 
grip  so  far  as  doing  hard  work  is  concerned  and 
that  I  shall  have  to  be  careful  of  my  strength  if  I 
am  to  last  long.  There  is  so  much  to  be  done  in 
the  kingdom  of  God ;  it  is  such  a  crisis  in  the 
history  of  our  own  land  and  the  world ;  the  con- 
dition of  our  great  cities  cries  so  mightily  to  heaven 
for  justice  among  men  and  mercy  from  God,  that 
I  would  like  to  be  strong  and  vigorous  a  little 
longer  and  give  even  the  remnant  of  my  life  for 
Him  who  gave  his  life  for  me." 

In  every  letter  he  spoke  of  the  need  of  the 
new  building  and  his  longing  to  see  it  completed, 
and  told  of  the  numbers  crowded  into  the  unven- 
tilated  rooms  and  the  numbers  turned  away  for 
lack  of  room.  He  grieved  to  have  any  turned 
away,  because  he  counted  every  opportunity  for 
teaching  them  the  Scripture  most  precious.  He 
said:  "The  Bible  in  the  mind,  its  spirit  in  the 
hearts  and  homes  of  men,  is  the  great  want  of  the 


Work  for  the  Bohemians,  \Q\ 

masses  here  and  everywhere.  With  practical  love, 
common-sense,  and  plenty  of  courage  and  staying 
qualities,  we  can  plant  ourselves  in  any  neighbor- 
liood  and  revolutionize  it.  We  must  not  gather 
up  the  skirts  of  our  garments  for  fear  of  soiling 
them,  but  take  the  little  ones  on  our  laps  and 
sit  right  down  with  tired  mothers  and  wives  and 
husbands  in  their  homes,  and  give  the  sympathy 
they  crave,  and  when  confidence  is  gained  we  Cctn 
give  counsel  and  advice.  We  must  go  down 
among  the  people  if  we  would  do  them  good." 

While  the  building  was  going  up  Mr.  Gates 
gave  his  time  freely  for  the  supervision  of  the 
work.  He  went  often  to  the  place,  and  watched 
over  every  detail  of  the  work.  Said  one  who 
visited  the  building  with  him :  "  Some  months 
since  he  took  me  through  the  building  then  Hear- 
ing completion.  I  did  not  know  which  to  admire 
most  —  the  edifice  or  the  quiet  elderly  gentleman 
whose  soft  blue  eyes  were  aglow  with  heaven's  own 
light  as  he  placed  his  hand  on  the  shoulders  of 
some  smiling  Bohemian  children  who  had  gathered 
about  us  and  to  whom  he  spoke  of  the  building  as 
all  theirs." 

At  last  the  building  was  completed.  It  was 
dedicated  on  the  first  of  May,  1890,  and  Mr. 
Gates'  cup  of  joy  seemed  full  as  he  told  the  his- 
tory of  the  building  and  outlined  the  purpose  for 
which  it  was  built.  When  prostrate  on  tlie  bed 
of  sickness  he  had  prayed  that  his  life  might  be 
spared  to  complete  the  work,  and  his  prayer  had 


168  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

been  answered.  We  cannot  describe  the  building 
better  than  by  using  his  own  words  on  that 
occasion :  — 

We  have  sought  to  make  it  substantial  but  plain. 
You  will  notice  that  our  basement  is  very  high,  which 
gives  us  pleasant  and  airy  rooms  in  it.  The  one  on 
your  right  as  you  enter  is  for  work  among  the  girls 
and  for  their  societies,  with  anterooms  for  their  com- 
fort. On  the  left  in  front  is  the  reading-room  and 
behind  it  another  of  the  same  size  for  the  Boys' 
Union,  and  the  two  are  connected  by  a  large  doorway 
so  that  they  can  be  occupied  for  religious  services  in 
Bohemian  at  the  same  time  that  services  are  being 
conducted  in  English  in  the  upper  room.  You  will 
notice  a  large  space  in  the  basement  not  occupied  as 
yet.  We  hold  this  for  development.  It  may  give  us 
quarters  for  manual  training  where  boys  may  be 
taught  the  use  of  tools  to  such  an  extent  as  to  give 
them  a  better  start  in  life  than  they  would  otherwise 
have.  In  the  rear  is  a  suite  of  rooms  for  the  janitor's 
family,  and  a  kitchen  where  we  hope  many  a  girl  who 
has  learned  to  speak  English  may  be  taught  plain 
cooking,  and  thus  be  fitted  for  service  in  American 
families.  On  the  first  floor  we  have  in  the  rear  a 
beautiful  room  with  equipment  for  the  Kindergarten 
and  the  Primary  Department  of  the  Sunday-school. 
By  throwing  up  the  rolling  wood  partitions  it  may  be 
united  with  the  central  auditorium.  And  the  same  is 
true  of  the  Prayer  Room  and  Bible  Study  Rooms, 
thus  giving  us  seats  for  twelve  hundred.  In  the 
southwest  corner  we  liave  secured  a  study  and  office 
for  Mr.  Adams,  and  above  that  a  pleasant  room  in 


Work  for  the  Bohemians.  169 

which  to  print  the  weekly  paper  issued  by  him.  The 
large  room  in  the  second  story  is  for  the  social  and 
missionary  gatherings  of  the  women. 

In  the  erection  of  this  building  we  have  had  in 
mind  first  of  all  the  carrying  of  the  gospel  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  into  the  homes  and  hearts  of  the  people 
who  assemble  here  and  live  in  this  vicinity  ;  but  we 
also  hope  by  appropriate  lectures  and  concerts  to  help 
the  people  to  understand  our  history  and  know  what 
is  needed  to  become  true  and  loyal  American  citizens. 

When  he  had  finished  his  address  a  band  of 
girls  came  forward  and  presented  him  with  a 
handful  of  beautiful  flowers.  It  was  their  own 
gift  and  prompted  only  by  their  love  and  grati- 
tude to  him  for  his  loving  services  in  their  behalf. 
He  was  deeply  touched  by  this  act.  The  girl 
chosen  by  her  fellows  to  present  the  offering 
said:  "These  flowers  will  fade  and  perish,  but 
our  thankfulness  will  never  fade." 

The  Bethlehem  Church  became  the  strongest 
argument  to  allay  the  suspicions  of  the  Bohe- 
mians and  convince  them  that  the  Christians  of 
Chicago  cared  for  them. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

LAST   WORDS. 

YERY  soon  after  the  formation  of  the  Chi- 
cago City  Missionary  Society,  the  Chicago 
Congregational  Club  was  organized.  The  objects 
of  the  club  were  thus  stated :  "  To  encourage 
among  the  members  of  the  Congregational 
churches  of  Chicago  and  vicinity  a  more  friendly 
and  intimate  acquaintance ;  to  promote  the  intel- 
lectual and  spiritual  culture  of  its  members ;  to 
secure  concert  of  action,  and  to  promote  the  gen- 
eral interests  of  the  cause  of  Christ  as  represented 
by  these  churches." 

From  the  first  the  cause  of  city  missions  held 
a  large  place  in  the  deliberations  of  the  Club,  one 
meeting  each  year  being  devoted  to  a  considera- 
tion of  the  work  and  needs  of  the  Chicago  City 
Missionary  Society.  Mr.  Gates  was  often  called 
upon  to  present  this  cause  to  the  Club.  His 
thoughts  were  clothed  in  well-chosen  and  vigorous 
language  and  his  addresses  were  eloquent  with  his 
own  earnestness.  One  thought,  one  love,  one  pur- 
pose run  through  them  all.  He  had  caught  the 
thought  of  Him  who  came  to  seek  and  to  save 
that  which  was  lost;  and  his  love  for  the  neg- 
lected men,  women,  and  children  of  the  city  and 
his  longing  for  their  salvation  found  utterance  at 

170 


La^t  Words.  171 

every  opportunity.  His  words  seemed  more  like 
the  utterance  of  some  Old  Testament  prophet 
than  like  the  formal  addresses  often  given  on  such 
occasions.  He  had  always  as  the  foundation  of 
his  words  some  Scripture  truth  which  was  glow- 
ing and  burning  in  his  own  heart  and  which  he 
tried  to  apply  to  the  ways  of  men  in  our  times. 

In  1885,  at  the  May  meeting  of  the  Club,  he 
was  called  to  speak  on  the  theme :  "  The  Duties  of 
Christian  Laymen  to  the  Neglected  Classes."  His 
address  was  as  follows  :  — 

A  clear  definition  of  words  is  often  essential  in  the 
statement  of  a  case.  I  desire  to  emphasize  the  word 
"  Christian  "  in  its  connection  with  my  theme.  If  we 
were  living  in  the  time  of  Paul  and  in  the  city  of 
Antioch,  there  would  be  no  need  of  explanation. 
Christ  had  just  died  on  the  cross,  risen  from  the  dead, 
given  his  great  commission,  ascended  to  glory,  ful- 
filled his  promise,  and  sent  the  Holy  Spirit  and  the 
enduement  of  power  from  on  high.  Christians  then 
were  simply  Christ-men  and  women,  who  believed  in 
him  as  their  personal  Saviour,  to  whom  they  had  unre- 
servedW  surrendered  their  own  wills,  simply  asking. 
Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  and  prepared  at 
whatever  sacrifice  to  do  it.  Christ  set  an  example  of 
self-sacrifice,  going  about  doing  good,  and  he  called 
all  his  followers  to  be  workers  together  with  him. 
Himself  the  first  great  missionary  from  heaven  to 
earth,  his  disciples  accepted  the  missionary  work  as 
the  natural  consequence  of  accepting  Christ.  Here 
we  have  our  ideal  Christian  —  one  who  has  given  him- 
self to  a  loving  service  of  a  loving  Saviour.     Every 


172  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

such  person  knows  from  his  own  experience  the  reno- 
vating, purifying,  elevating,  and  sanctifying  power  of 
the  gospel,  and  that,  as  it  was  the  only  thing  that 
could  change  his  character,  so  it  is  the  only  thing  that 
can  change  the  character  of  the  neglected  classes  and 
thus  cure  the  evils  that  afflict  the  city,  state,  and  nation. 
We  take  for  granted  in  this  discussion  that  the 
ministers  are  fully  alive  to  the  claims  of  God  upon 
them,  and  are  doing  all  they  can  to  reach  the  masses, 
but  that  when  they  have  done  their  very  best  there 
are  great,  outlying  fields  of  power  and  usefulness  into 
which  laymen  are  called  to  enter.  The  ordained  min- 
istry is  a  part  of  God's  plan  for  the  redemption  of 
human  souls  and  the  renovation  of  society,  but  only  a 
part.  It  was  never  intended  that  ministers  should 
have  all  the  work  cast  on  them.  The  idea  of  Christ 
was  that  each  and  every  one  called  into  his  kingdom 
should  at  once  become  a  worker.  "  Son,  go  work  to 
day  in  my  vineyard."  The  law  of  spiritual  growth  is 
spiritual  exercise.  God's  plan  is  that  every  heart  that 
believeth  unto  righteousness  shall  be  wedded  to  a 
mouth  making  confession  unto  salvation.  Growing  in 
grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ  is  as  impossible  without  constantly  doing 
his  will  as  is  the  development  of  muscle  without  physi- 
cal exercise.  When  Christ  had  nearly  finished  his 
ministry  in  the  flesh,  and  the  shadows  of  the  cross 
were  already  falling  upon  him,  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  to 
heaven  and  prayed  unto  the  Father  with  his  disciples 
and  for  them :  "  As  thou  hast  sent  me  into  the  world, 
even  so  have  I  also  sent  them  into  the  world  "  ;  and 
again  he  said:  "  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but 
for  them  also  which  shall  believe  on  me  through  their 


Last  Words.  173 

word."  Dear  brethren  and  sisters,  that  pra\'er  in- 
chided  you  and  me  and  .  every  Christian  layman  of 
Chicago.  If,  therefore,  we  can  establish  the  supreme 
thought  of  God  in  sending  Christ  into  the  world,  we 
shall  also  have  the  thought  of  Christ  in  sending  us 
into  the  world.  Let  the  words  of  Scripture  answer: 
"For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  belie veth  in  him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life  "  ;  and  Jesus  said  : 
"For  the  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save 
that  which  was  lost."  Here  is  our  commission  as 
laymen,  and  personal  service  is  the  plan  of  our 
campaign.  We  are  to  be  workers  together  with  Christ 
in  the  saving  of  Chicago,  the  Jerusalem  in  which 
he  has  given  us  our  homes.  We  should  be  alive 
to  the  situation,  growth,  and  power  of  our  city  and 
the  vast  possibilities  that  open  up  to  the  eye  of  faith 
along  its  future  development,  in  order  to  act  wisely 
in  the  present  and  forecast  that  development  for 
Christ. 

The  very  large  proportion  of  foreign  elements  in 
our  population  and  their  rapid  increase,  such  that 
there  is  not  time  to  assimilate  them,  lay  upon  us  very 
heavy  responsibilities ;  but,  as  Christian  men  and 
women,  we  must  accept  them  and  discharge  them  in 
the  fear  and  love  of  God.  We  cannot  ignore  the 
neglected  classes,  and  it  becomes  us  to  see  to  it  that 
they  are  no  longer  neglected.  Said  Judge  Talfourd, 
on  whom  death  was  at  the  moment  laying  its  hand : 
"  What  is  the  great  want  of  English  society  to  mingle 
class  witli  class?  I  would  say  in  one  word.  It  is  the 
want  of  sympathy."  It  is  as  true  to-day  of  Chi- 
cago as  of  England  when  he   uttered  it.     It  is  said  : 


174  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

'^  Jesus  .  .  .  saw  much  people,  and  was  raoved  with 
compassiou  toward  them,  because  the}'  were  as  sheep 
not  having  a  shepherd  ;  and  he  began  to  teach  them 
many  things."  He  did  not  stop  with  simply  teaching : 
he  cared  for  their  bodies,  healing  the  sick,  feeding 
the  hungry  and  showing  himself  their  friend.  If  we  are 
to  have  any  power  for  good  among  the  neglected 
classes,  we  must  go  and  do  likewise.  We  must  ac- 
quaint ourselves  with  their  numbers,  their  condition, 
their  previous  environments,  and  the  tendeucies  of 
their  lives.  We  shall  find  our  interest  in  them  kin- 
dling as  we  work  among  them.  We  know  that  in  a 
country  like  ours,  where  government  derives  its  au- 
thority, not  only  in  abstract  theory  but  in  actual  fact, 
from  the  popular  will,  the  obvious  method  of  attempt- 
ing to  shape  the  character  of  society  and  discipline 
the  nation  is  to  apply  Christian  influence  to  the  very 
source  of  the  nation's  power  and  authority  —  the  wills 
and  consciences  of  the  people  themselves  ;  and  that 
the  place  of  all  others  for  this  educating  process  to 
begin  is  the  family  —  that  divinely  ap[)ointed  institu- 
tion for  the  education  of  the  human  race.  Our  duty 
to  the  strangers  is  to  give  them  a  Christian  welcome 
and,  just  in  proportion  as  they  are  ignorant  and  vi- 
cious, redouble  our  efforts  to  let  the  blessed  influences 
of  the  gospel  radiate  into  all  their  abodes  until  by  its 
saving  power  they  become  Christian  homes.  God  has 
given  clear  and  unmistakable  evidence  of  a  prepared 
way  by  which  we  may  gain  access  to  the  homes  we 
seek  to  bless.  The  prophet  said,  "  A  little  child  shall 
lead  them,"  and  in  these  days  we  are  realizing 
what  a  mighty  truth  was  bound  up  in  the  prophecy. 
Caring    for  the  children   of  the   neglected  classes  by 


Last  Words.  175 

kindergartens,  Sunday-schools,  industrial  schools,  etc., 
makes  liouse-to-house  visitation  easy,  natural,  and 
blessed  work  for  teachers,  Bible-readers,  missionaries, 
and  pastors,  and  opens  the  way  for  gospel  preaching. 
This  is  a  practical  way  to  gain  accurate  knowledge  of 
each  home  and  its  peculiar  trials  and  wants,  and,  by 
wise  and  loving  counsels.  Christian  literature,  and 
timely  charity,  prove  that  the  same  mind  is  in  us  that 
was  in  Christ  Jesus.  To  do  this  work  even  as  it  has 
been  commenced  demands  a  largely  increased  supply 
of  faithful  officers  and  teachers,  and  it  is  preeminently 
the  duty  of  Christian  laymen  to  offer  themselves  freely 
for  this  service.  We  want  business  men  to  become 
practically  interested,  to  gather  classes  of  young  men, 
and  so  invest  in  them  that  mutual  confidence  shall  be 
inspired  and  love  begotten.  What  a  power  for  good 
a  thousand  consecrated  men  and  women  might  exert 
among  the  neglected  classes  by  such  labors,  and  how 
quickly  it  would  tell  for  an  intelligent  exercise  of  the 
ballot  as  well  as  for  an  honest  count  and  correct  re- 
turns !  Such  personal  work  would  so  interest  all  doing 
it  that  the  raising  of  money  would  be  easy.  Many 
business  men  who  profess  to  be  Christians  excuse  them- 
selves from  personal  work,  lose  their  interest  in  the 
work  of  Christ,  and  then  the  world  of  fashion,  amuse- 
ment, and  business  engrosses  their  time  and  exhausts 
their  energies.  Some  claim  they  are  too  old  to  take 
up  such  work.  What  a  mistake  !  Surely  nothing  can 
better  prepare  us  for  dwelling  with  Christ  than  coming 
into  closest  sympathy  with  him  and  cooperation  with 
him  in  his  great  plans  in  our  last  days  here  on  earth. 

Another  pressing  duty  of  Christian   laymen   is   to 
supplement  tlieir  own  personal  services  by  supplying 


176  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

missionaries  to  give  their  whole  time  to  work  among 
the  poor  and  the  outcast. 

Another  is  to  at  once  provide  ministers  of  the 
gospel  thoroughly  furnished  for  the  work  of  building 
up  churches  among  the  vast  populations  of  our  city 
and  all  through  the  Northwest.  It  is  a  terrible  thing 
to  know  how  few  ministers  are  available  of  the  right 
sort.  The  remedy  is  with  us.  How  many  of  the 
fathers  and  mothers  here  to-night  have  fully  settled 
it  in  their  own  minds  that  the  Christian  ministry  is  the 
noblest  and  highest  calling  open  to  human  effort, 
and  are  selecting  their  brightest  and  best  sons  and 
daughters  and  educating  them  for  that  end?  There 
are  many  Christian  laymen  who  ought  to  form  conse- 
crated partnerships  with  sons,  educating  them  for  mis- 
sion work,  and  then  putting  in  the  plants  of  lots  and 
buildings  and  the  money  for  their  support  over  against 
the  labor  of  the  son.  What  a  blessed  partnership  that 
would  be,  with  Christ  as  the  senior  partner !  And 
what  a  blessed  influence  such  investments  would  have 
upon  the  neglected  masses  in  this  city  !  Such  invest- 
ments would  soon  solve  many  of  the  troublesome 
questions  between  labor  and  capital  and  purify  our 
municipal  government. 

God  holds  Christians  to  strict  accountability  for 
their  talents  and  wealth.  He  has  said;  "Ye  are  the 
salt  of  the  earth."  For  lack  of  the  preserving  power 
of  ten  men  and  women  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  per- 
ished. Greece  and  Rome  had  wealth  and  art  and 
culture  but  lacking  Christianity  they  were  destroyed. 
Let  us  be  careful  lest  with  all  our  wealth  and  material 
success  we  administer  it  in  the  line  of  self-satisfaction 
instead  of  self-sacrifice   for  the  good  of  others  and 


Last  Words.  177 

thus  bring  ourselves  under  the  condemnation  of  those 
who  are  not  rich  toward  God. 

Dear  friends,  rising  above  duty,  we  should  count  it 
our  highest  privilege  to  enter  with  fresh  ardor  and 
new  consecration  upon  this  work  of  saving  the  souls 
of  the  neglected  classes  and  thus  save  the  city.  This 
is  the  Biblical  way  of  saving  the  state.  It  is  as  true 
now  as  when  Solomon  uttered  it,  that  "  righteousness 
exalteth  a  nation  ;  but  sin  is  a  reproach  to  any  peo- 
ple." Sin  levels  down  and  drags  all  classes  into  one 
common  ruin.  Eighteousness  levels  up  and  makes  us 
all  brethren,  with  one  Saviour,  one  hope  of  eternal 
life,  and  one  Golden  Rule:  "Whatsoever  ye  would 
that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them." 

The  treasures  of  heaven  are  redeemed  souls,  saved 
b}^  the  blood  of  Christ  and  through  the  iustrumentalit}^ 
of  Christian  men  and  women.  Christ  says:  "Lay 
up  for  yourselves  treasures  in  heaven."  We  shall 
obey  just  in  proportion  as  we  make  our  time,  our  tal- 
ents, wealth,  all  we  have,  count  for  the  winning  of 
souls,  and  this  is  the  supreme  duty  of  the  Christian 
layman  to  the  neglected  classes. 

This  address  reveals  the  burden  of  his  heart, 
the  consuming  passion  of  his  life. 

In  1890  the  April  meeting  of  the  Club  was 
given  to  the  subject  of  city  missions,  as  usual, 
and  Rev.  H.  A.  Stimson,  d.d.,  read  a  carefully 
prepared  paper  on  '*  Congregational  City  Missions 
the  Successful  Experiment."  He  was  followed  by 
Professor  Curtiss,  president  of  the  society,  in  a 
review  of  the  ten  years  of  the  society's  work, 
showing  the   grand   results   already  accomplished 


178  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

and  what  it  could  do  if  it  only  had  the  funds  at 
its  disposal.  When  he  had  taken  his  seat,  the 
members  of  the  club  began  to  call  for  Deacon 
Gates,  and  he  arose  and  delivered  an  address 
which  left  a  marked  impression  on  all  who  heard 
it.  It  was  delivered  without  notes  and  was  evi- 
dently impromptu,  but  papers  found  after  his 
death  show  that,  according  to  his  habit,  he  had 
been  thinking  and  studying  along  the  line  of  this 
address  and  had  recorded  his  thoughts  in  the  form 
of  notes,  from  which  and  from  the  remembrance 
of  friends  present  on  that  occasion  we  may  gather 
at  least  approximately  the  thoughts  of  that  address. 

He  began  with  the  following  quotation  from  a 
newspaper  concerning  the  province  of  Congrega- 
tional clubs :  — 

"  We  believe  that  the  Congregational  Club  has  a 
mission  and  is  feeling  its  way  toward  it.  While 
we  would  not  have  it  ignore  the  great  problems  of 
the  day  which  are  everywhere  agitated,  it  best 
fulfills  the  end  of  its  existence  when  it  has  regard 
to  the  local  field  immediately  under  its  survey  and 
care.  Influences  ought  to  go  forth  from  every 
club  which  will  strengthen  the  weak  churches, 
lead  to  the  planting  of  new  ones,  and  unite  all 
the  Congregationalists  in  the  vicinity,  and  all  the 
Christians  if  possible,  in  wise  and  earnest  labor 
for  the  Master  and  for  men.  By  thus  building 
over  against  its  own  house  each  club  will  share  in 
the  erection  of  that  temple,  the  glory  of  which 
even  now  is  silently  but  certainly  filling  the  earth." 


Last  Words.  179 

Said  Mr.  Gates :  — 

I  heartily  indorse  this  statement.  It  has  been  a 
source  of  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  feel  that  this 
Ckib  has  from  the  first  acted  along  this  line.  The 
very  fact  that  the  April  meeting  is  set  apart  by  com- 
mon consent  for  the  Chicago  City  Missionary  Society 
bears  testimony  to  its  deep  and  abiding  interest  in 
city  missions  as  the  most  powerful  agency  at  work 
among  our  masses  for  securing  morality,  industry, 
thrift,  and  good  government  by  carrying  the  gospel  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  into  their  homes  and  securing: 
its  lodgment  in  their  hearts.  I  also  rejoice  to  know 
that  a  large  number  of  our  members  are  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  work  of  saving  the  city.  The  multiplica- 
tion of  our  missions  makes  an  increasing  demand  for 
superintendents  of  Sunday-schools,  for  teachers,  and 
for  practical  business  men  to  serve  as  associate  trus- 
tees in  the  new  enterprises.  It  is  impossible  to  com- 
pute or  to  put  into  words  the  value  of  such  services 
both  in  the  direct  effects  upon  the  little  band  of  poor 
but  earnest  Christians  who  have  not  had  much  experi- 
ence in  Christian  work,  and  indirectly  upon  the  church 
from  which  such  men  and  women  go  out,  as  they  tell 
in  their  prayer-meetings  the  story  of  the  new  enter- 
prise and  its  needs.  City  missions  have  often  suffered 
sadly  for  lack  of  just  this  element  in  their  inception 
and  development.  I  know  of  no  work  where  practi- 
cal, sanctified  common-sense  and  good  business  habits 
and  methods  are  more  needed  than  in  the  starting  and 
developing  of  missions ;  and,  dear  friends,  it  is  a 
glorious  work  !  The  want  of  to-day  is  the  same  as 
the  want  of  the  world  when  Christ  looked   upon  the 


180  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

multitudes  and  saw  them  as  sheep  without  a  shepherd, 
and  had  compassion  on  them  and  worked  miracles  to 
heal  and  feed  their  bodies,  and  then  taught  them  as 
never  man  taught  before. 

Sympathy  with  the  masses  cannot  be  purchased  for 
money  alone.  There  must  be  the  loving  touch,  the 
kindly  inquiries,  the  practical  show  of  friendliness. 
We  owe  pecuniary  help  to  those  less  favored  than 
ourselves,  but  that  is  not  all.  In  the  words  of  Bishop 
Harris:  "The  rich  have  something  vastly  more  pre- 
cious and  helpful  than  money,  which  they  ought  to 
give,  but  which  under  our  present  system  is  too  often 
not  given,  and  that  is  personal  sympathy,  personal 
interest,  personal  friendship  and  good-will,  to  be 
manifested,  as  they  only  can  be  manifested,  in  the 
frank  and  unrestricted  intercourse  between  the  rich 
and  the  poor.  One  of  the  evil  results  of  our  present 
system  is  that  the  poor  are  largely  bereaved  of  the 
personal  sympathy  of  the  rich ;  and  not  less  is  the 
loss  to  the  rich  themselves.  They  are  deprived  of  the 
gratitude,  the  friendship,  the  friendliness  of  the  poor. 
The  softening,  elevating  influence  of  benefactorship  is 
taken  away  from  them.  Princely  though  their  gifts 
may  be  and  large  their  charities,  yet  they  go  too  often 
through  second  hands  of  institutional  channels  and 
meet  no  return  of  thanks  or  even  of  gratitude.  They 
hear  not  that  sweet  music,  the  benedictions  of  the 
poor  and  lowly." 

From  whom,  if  not  from  such  bodies  as  this,  shall 
the  remedy  come?  We  are  professedly  Christian, 
have  entered  into  fellowship  and  sympathy  with  Jesus 
Christ  in  his  great  work  of  saving  a  lost  world.  We 
have  enlisted  in  his  service  and  accepted  his  marching 


Last  Words.  181 

orders  :  '*  Go,  carry  my  gospel  to  every  creature."  If 
we  would  attain  any  high  degree  of  spirituality  and 
power  for  good,  we  must  do  jyersonal  ivork. 

This  is  the  first  time  in  two  or  three  years  that  1 
have  been  able  to  attend   an  April   meeting   because 
of  sickness,  and  increasing  infirmities  warn  me  that  I 
must  rapidly  lay  aside  the  active  duties  that  for  years 
I  have  gladly  performed,  leaving  to  younger  men  the 
heat  and  burden  of  the  day.     Will  you  bear  with  me 
a  few  moments  as  I  give  you  my  thought  about  this 
work?     Jesus   Christ    went    about    doing    good.     He 
was  a  great  preacher,  and  yet  how  small  a  portion  of 
his  public  life  was  taken  up  with  preaching.     He  saw 
the  gathered  multitudes  and  was  moved  with  compas- 
sion for  them,  sympathized  with  them,  and  attended 
his  generally  short,  pithy,  and  practical  sermons  with 
acts  of  healing  and  care  for  their  bodily  wants,  and 
the  common  people  heard  him  gladly.     He  had  sym- 
pathy with  them  and  expressed  it  in  a  practical  way. 
I   affirm    with   no    fear   of   contradiction    that   of    all 
others,  every  Christian  business  man  needs  the  Sab- 
bath-day personal  work  for  Christ  such  as  is  offered  in 
the  Sunday-school  and  the  house-to-house  visitation  in 
connection  with  mission  work.     Sometimes  men  say  to 
me  :  "  I  am  too  tired  ;  I  want  rest  Sundays."     You  of 
all  others  need  the  entire  change  of  thought  and  action 
that  study  of  God's  Word  and  practical  application 
of  it  brings.     You  need   the  inspiration  of  touching 
human  souls,  of  seeing  eyes  grow  tearful  and  hearing 
speech  tremulous  with  emotion  as  you  press  upon  men, 
or  upon   your   Sunday-school   class,  the   great,    vital 
truths  of  the  gospel.     Oh,  what  a  virtue  there  is  in  such 
work,  prosecuted  at  least  on  every  Sabbath,  to  break 


182  A  Christian  Business  Man, 

the  power  of  this  world  and  return  one  to  his  busi- 
ness on  Monday  fresh  and  vigorous  for  life's  rational 
duties. 

There  was  a  power  in  the  address  that  was  not 
so  much  in  the  words  as  in  the  man.  When  his 
hearers  looked  into  his  face,  whitened  by  illness 
and  exhausting  labor  for  the  Master,  and  thought 
of  his  self-denying  toil  and  the  Bohemian  chapel 
fast  nearing  completion,  they  yielded  to  him  not 
only  their  earnest  attention,  but  also  the  silent 
assent  of  the  heart,  speaking  through  their  eyes 
and  their  faces.  Says  one  of  those  present: 
"  Called  upon  at  the  close  of  the  meeting  to  say  a 
few  words,  he  spoke  out  of  his  own  rich  experi- 
ence as  though  inspired.  As  he  stood  before  the 
Club,  his  face  lighted  up  with  his  subject,  his 
words  were  exceedingly  weighty,  not  only  because 
so  aptly  chosen  and  so  tersely  put,  but  because  he 
himself  was  a  living  illustration  of  their  truth." 

Another  said :  "  As  we  looked  upon  his  face 
aglow  with  a  heavenly  expression,  as  we  heard  his 
impassioned  words,  as  we  realized  his  joy  over  his 
own  great  achievement,  we  were  made  to  feel 
that,  like  one  of  the  old  prophets,  he  had  been  in- 
spired to  deliver  that  message  of  the  urgency  of 
his  Master's  work,  and  that  very  likel}^  it  was  his 
last  '  burden  of  the  Lord '  to  be  delivered  unto  us. 
It  will  long  abide  in  the  memory  and  in  the  heart 
and  purpose  of  all  of  us  who  heard  it." 

Says  a  third :  "  It  seemed  to  me  and  to  others 
that  God  had  touched  his  lips  as  with  a  live  coal 


Last  Words.  183 

from  off  his  altar,  and  fired  his  soul  with  a  holy 
enthusiasm,  as  he  urged  in  eloquent  and  persua- 
sive words  that  which  he  so  fully  exemplified  in 
his  own  life,  the  duty  and  the  blessedness  of  con- 
secrating personal  work  and  wealth  to  the  Lord's 
service.  If  he  had  known  that  it  was  to  be  his 
last  public  message  to  the  business  men  of  Chi- 
cago, he  could  not  have  spoken  more  wisely  or 
more  earnestly." 


CHAPTER   XII. 

LAST   DAYS. 

ONE  long-cherished  desire  had  been  granted 
in  the  completion  of  the  Bethlehem  Chapel, 
and  it  had  brought  great  joy  to  Mr.  Gates.  There 
was  still  another  desire  burning  in  his  heart,  and 
that  was  to  look  again  upon  the  face  of  the  son 
and  daughter  who  had  been  absent  seven  years. 
And  now  they  were  coming  home,  and  all  the 
father's  thoughts  seemed  turned  toward  that  home- 
coming. The  chamber  was  prepared  for  them, 
and  he  entered  into  all  the  preparations  with  much 
ardor.  He  longed  with  a  great  longing  to  greet 
his  children  once  more  and  talk  with  them  of  the 
work  he  had  come  to  love  as  if  it  were  his  own ; 
and  it  was  indeed  his  own,  for  he  had  shared  in  it 
by  his  prayers,  by  his  gifts,  and  by  his  counsels  to 
so  large  an  extent  that  he  might  well  be  counted 
as  one  of  the  workers  in  that  mission  field. 

Often  in  those  last  days,  as  he  kneeled  at  the 
family  altar  and  offered  the  petitions  for  the 
absent  ones,  which  had  been  going  up  morning 
and  evening  during  the  years  of  their  absence,  he 
would  add  the  petition :  "  May  these  eyes  behold 
the  loved  ones  far  away  !  "  The  prayers  of  those 
last  days  were  like  the  familiar  converse  of  one 
made  ripe  for  heaven  with  his  God,  he  seemed  to 

184 


Last  Bays.  185 

come  so  near  the  Saviour  as  he  prayed.  But 
nothing  of  this  longing  was  allowed  to  find  place 
in  the  letters  sent  across  the  seas.  He  wholly 
suppressed  his  own  parental  longings,  so  that  his 
letters  might  sometimes  have  seemed  cold,  had  we 
not  known  and  felt  his  love  and  seen  it  evidenced 
by  his  constant  thoughtfulness  for  our  comfort 
and  our  welfare.  His  letters  were  full  of  words 
of  cheer  and  comfort  and  encouragement  to  help 
us  bear  the  discomforts  of  the  way. 

Says  one  who  often  met  him  in  those  days: 
"  With  gladness  he  told  me  of  the  joyous  return 
near  at  hand.  The  beautiful  home  fronting  the 
early  summer  foliage  of  Lincoln  Park  had  been 
specially  prepared  for  the  full  family  gathering. 
With  his  accustomed  accuracy  he  went  over  each 
step  in  the  route  of  the  travelers,  with  the  prob- 
able dates  of  arrival  and  departure ;  the  ride  over 
the  Mesopotamian  Plain,  across  the  Euphrates 
Valley  to  the  sea,  and  the  prolonged  sea  voy- 
age through  the  Mediterranean  to  the  Atlantic. 
Every  day  of  the  long  journey  was  calculated, 
even  the  very  day  when  he  might  welcome  them. 
All  was  clear  to  his  cheerful  vision  and  told  with 
an  emotion  that  moistened  the  eyes  of  us  both. 
He  left  for  the  anticipated  meeting  and  his  prayer, 
so  oft-repeated,  was  answered;  those  eyes  did 
'behold  the  loved  ones  from  far  away.'" 

He  was  accompanied  on  his  journey  to  the  sea- 
shore by  Mr.  S.  M.  Moore  and  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Wiley,  the  father  and  sister  of  the  brave  but  frail 


186  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

little  woman  who  had  shared  the  toils,  trials,  and 
discomforts  of  the  missionary  life  with  a  faith  in 
God  that  had  never  failed  and  a  loving  spirit  that 
admitted  no  complaints.  Mr.  Gates  had  been  so 
happy  and  hopeful  of  late  that  he  seemed  stronger 
and  better,  though  he  told  one  of  his  friends  that 
it  seemed  to  him  that  his  vitality  was  leaving  him. 
On  the  way  to  New  Yoi'k  he  read  aloud  and 
talked  in  his  own  instructive  and  interesting  way, 
making  the  journey  seem  short,  though  all  were 
eager  for  its  end  and  for  the  fruition  of  their 
hope  and  longing.  There  was  a  sudden  change 
of  the  weather  during  the  journey,  and  Mr. 
Gates'  enfeebled  frame  could  not  withstand  its 
effects.  They  arrived  in  New  York,  Friday,  May 
30,  and  on  Saturday  morning  he  was  taken  with 
a  chill.  A  doctor  was  called  at  once,  and  Mr. 
Gates  took  to  his  bed  by  his  orders,  although  he 
did  not  consider  the  attack  serious. 

Meanwhile  the  steamer  Umbria  was  drawing 
near  with  its  eagerly  looked  for  cargo.  The 
travelers  caught  sight  of  their  native  land  and 
hoped  that  they  should  arrive  Saturday  evening 
and  spend  an  unbroken  Sabbath  with  the  sister, 
who  was  married  with  them  on  that  very  day 
seven  years  before.  But  they  arrived  off  quaran- 
tine just  too  late  to  enter  the  harbor  and  an- 
chored there  for  the  night. 

The  next  morning  liow  eagerly  they  strained 
their  eyes  to  see  the  faces  of  the  loved  ones  on 
the  dock !     One  was  missing,  and  when  they  came 


Last  Days.  187 

within  hail  they  could  not  restrain  the  inquiry 
shouted  across  the  water  that  still  separated  them, 
''Where  is  father?" 

As  soon  as  the  first  greetings  were  over,  Mi-. 
Gates  desired  to  return  home.  He  had  planned 
to  visit  the  youngest  son  and  attend  the  exercises 
of  his  graduation  at  Amherst  on  the  way  home, 
but  his  sickness  changed  his  plans  and  made  him 
anxious  to  get  back  to  his  family  and  his  home. 
And  so,  the  physician  assenting  to  his  removal, 
the  whole  party  started  homeward  on  Tuesday 
morning,  June  3,  1890.  As  the  train  passed 
swiftly  along  the  valley  of  the  Hudson,  Mr.  Gates 
spoke  of  scenes  familiar  to  him  in  early  years,  and 
seemed  to  take  pleasure  in  seeing  them  from  the 
windows,  but  after  a  little  the  fever  returned,  and 
he  became  weary  with  the  motion  of  the  cars  and 
exhausted  with  the  fever.  His  son  ministered  to 
him,  keeping  his  head  wet  with  cloths  dipped  in 
ice  water.  He  bore  the  journey  well,  although 
it  wearied  him.  As  night  came  on  he  repeated 
slowly  the  Twenty-third  Psalm. 

And  so  they  came  home,  Wednesday  morning, 
June  7.  Soon  the  disease  took  a  more  pronounced 
character,  and  the  doctor  announced  that  it  was 
pneumonia.  On  Saturday  he  asked  his  son  to 
read  and  pray  with  him.  He  chose  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Third  Psalm,  and  prayed  that  God  would 
make  his  word  piecious  and  impress  it  on  our 
hearts.  And  his  father  made  answer,  feebly  but 
clearly  repeating  the  words  of  the  Psalm  :  "  '  Who 


188  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

forgiveth  all  our  iniquities.'  Oh,  how  much  more 
ready  he  is  to  forgive  than  we  are  to  ask  ! "  On 
Sunday  he  was  very  weak,  and  for  a  time  it 
seemed  as  if  his  faith  were  clouded,  for  he  whis- 
pered feebly :  "  Have  you  no  word  of  hope  ? " 
His  son  made  answer:  "  God  says, 'Fear  not:  for 
I  have  redeemed  thee.' " 

A  little  later  he  said :  "  Jesus,  where  art  thou  ?  " 
and  again  the  son  answered :  ''  He  is  here."  After 
a  little  pause,  he  said  feebly :  "  From  everlasting 
to  everlasting.     Oh,  how  precious  !  " 

On  Monday  he  was  still  weaker  and  distressed 
in  breathing.  He  was  too  weak  to  talk,  but  the 
words  of  Scripture  repeated  to  him  seemed  to 
bring  him  comfort:  "Fear  not:  for  I  have  re- 
deemed thee,  I  have  called  thee  by  thy  name; 
thou  art  mine.  When  thou  passest  through  the 
waters,  I  will  be  with  thee ;  and  through  the 
rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow  thee." 

He  sank  slowly  and  painlessly  into  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death,  and  passed  away  at  six 
minutes  past  eight  o'clock,  June  9,  1890,  in  his 
sixty-sixth  year.  There  was  nothing  dreadful  in 
his  death.  Even  in  the  moment  when  the  first 
sense  of  loss  fell  upon  the  bereaved  ones,  there 
was  a  sense  of  the  blessedness  of  the  one  who 
had  gone  from  earth  into  the  presence  of  Him 
whom  he  loved,  such  that  he  who  closed  the  eyes 
from  which  the  light  had  departed  said  in  broken 
accents:  "Thine  eyes  behold  the  King  in  his 
beauty."     His  family  was  gathered  about  his  bed ; 


Last  Days.  189 

Lis  wife  and  daughter,  and  the  four  married  sons, 
Charles  and  William  and  Frank  and  Henry.  Her- 
bert, the  youngest  of  the  sons,  was  at  Amherst 
College,  and,  owing  to  a  delay  in  the  delivery  of 
the  telegram  sent  to  him,  did  not  arrive  until 
after  his  father  had  passed  away.  It  was  his 
father's  desire  that  he  too  should  study  for  the 
ministry,  and  that  desire  has  since  been  realized. 
Indeed  it  seemed  as  if  the  heavenly  Father  had 
taken  pleasure  in  gratifying  the  desires  of  his 
servant  in  his  last  days.  In  a  former  sickness  he 
had  prayed  that  he  might  be  spared  to  see  the 
Bethlehem  Chapel  completed,  and  it  was  granted 
to  him.  He  prayed  that  he  might  look  upon  the 
face  of  his  children,  and  that  too  was  granted. 
And  then  it  seemed  as  if  the  stimulus  of  hope 
and  desire  was  removed  and  he  departed  in  peace, 
leaving  the  memory  of  his  love  and  his  prayers 
to  draw  his  children  nearer  to  God.  When  4iis 
son  Herbert  decided  to  enter  the  ministry,  his  first 
thought  was  of  his  father,  and  he  said :  "  I  wish 
that  I  could  tell  him  and  see  his  face  light  up." 

When  the  hour  came  for  the  last  tributes  to  the 
memory  of  the  deceased,  the  church  was  filled 
with  those  who  had  come  from  all  parts  of  the 
city  to  unite  in  testifying  their  love  and  esteem 
for  one  whose  life  had  won  their  confidence.  But 
there  were  none  whose  presence  so  touched  the 
hearts  of  the  mourners  as  the  sight  of  the  little 
band  of  poorly  clad  men  and  women  from   the 


190  A  Christian  Business  Man 

Bohemian  quarter.  One  poor  woman  had  carried 
her  baby  in  her  arms  clear  across  the  city  rather 
than  fail  to  come ;  and  they  brought  a  wreath  of 
flowers  to  be  laid  upon  the  coffin,  on  which  was 
inscribed,  '-'•Mi  loval  nas "  (He  loved  us).  The 
grocer  sent  a  wreath  of  flowers,  saying  with  tears 
in  his  eyes,  "He  was  such  a  good  neighbor  !  "  And 
the  flower-woman  sent  a  little  bunch  of  flowers 
"for  his  hand."  The  rich  and  the  poor  met  to- 
gether in  showing  honor  to  one  who  loved  them 
both. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

A   LIFE  WORTH   LIVING. 

IT  is  hard  to  gather  up  the  impressions  made 
by  a  life  which  seemed  so  fully  to  respond 
to  the  touch  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  one  we 
have  recorded. 

He  was  a  loving  father  and  husband.  It  was 
his  delight  to  plan  and  execute  pleasant  surprises 
for  those  he  loved.  On  one  occasion  his  daughter 
was  to  go  to  a  western  city  and  there  seemed  to 
be  no  opportunity  to  provide  companionship  for 
her.  Mr.  Gates  was  pressed  with  business,  but 
he  decided  that  he  would  take  the  time  to  accom- 
pany her  to  her  destination  and  then  return. 
He  would  not  allow  her  to  be  told  of  his  inten- 
tion, but  himself  accompanied  her  to  the  station, 
bade  her  farewell,  and  took  his  seat  in  another 
part  of  the  train  until  it  was  well  under  way, 
when  he  appeared  to  her  delighted  and  wonder- 
ing eyes,  and  removed  every  apprehension  in 
regard  to  the  journey  by  announcing  that  he 
intended  to  accompany  her. 

Often  when  his  family  were  spending  the 
summer  in  the  pleasant  cottage  he  had  built  for 
them  at  Charlevoix,  Mich.,  he  would  plan  sudden 
visits,  arriving  all  unannounced  and  entering  by 
the  back  door  in  order  that  he  might  enjoy  their 

191 


192  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

surprise  and  gladness.  During  his  visits  he  added 
to  the  pleasure  of  all  at  the  resort  by  his  genial 
presence,  by  his  ministrations,  and  especially  by 
his  words  and  petitions  so  full  of  spiritual  power 
when  he  led  their  thoughts  in  the  morning  de- 
votions, which  were  a  part  of  the  life  in  that 
summer  home. 

We  cannot  better  convey  the  impression  he 
made  on  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact 
than  by  transcribing  the  Memorial  Address  of  the 
Rev.  E.  A.  Adams,  with  whom  he  was  so  closely 
and  intimately  associated  in  the  Bohemian  work 
which  they  both  loved  :  — 

Never  shall  I  forget  that  morning  when  in  hope 
and  yet  in  fear  I  took  up  the  paper  to  look  for  what 
I  dreaded  most  of  all  to  find,  and  found  what  I 
had  feared  and  not  what  I  had  hoped.  Never  shall  I 
forget  how  the  tears  started  from  the  eyes  of  every 
member  of  our  family,  and  how  the  stillness  at  the 
breakfast  table  told  of  the  grief,  too  deep  for  words, 
which  had  taken  possession  of  all  our  hearts.  F'or  we 
knew  that  he  who  had  been  associated  with  all  our 
planning  for  the  Bohemian  work,  without  whose  pres- 
ence no  Sunday  had  been  complete,  no  picnic  satis- 
factory, and  no  Christmas  festival  a  success,  had  taken 
part  with  us  in  these  exercises  for  the  last  time. 

The  fact  that  impressed  us  perhaps  the  most  of  all 
was  this :  that  he  gave  himself  to  the  Bohemian  work 
as  if  it  were  his  only  work.  We  knew  at  the  time 
that  it  was  only  one  of  the  many  directions  in  which 
his  energies  were  turned,  and  it  has   become  clearer 


A  Life  Worth  Living.  193 

to  us  since  his  death.  The  demands  of  his  business 
were  exacting  ;  it  seemed  to  us  increasingly  so  during 
these  last  years.  The  work  of  foreign  missions  filled 
his  heart,  it  would  seem  almost  to  the  exclusion  of 
everything  else.  The  Chicago  Theological  Seminary 
and  its  interests  were  never  off  his  mind.  Indeed, 
scarcely  a  single  object  in  which  our  churches  are 
interested  was  in  any  sense  forgotten  by  him.  Never- 
theless he  seemed  to  us  to  be  just  as  full  of  plans 
for  the  Bohemian  work,  as  full  of  methods  to  awaken 
and  increase  the  interest  in  it,  as  if  it  were  the  only 
thing  for  which  he  thought,  or  for  which  he  cared. 
To  me  this  was  a  marvel  at  first,  and  the  marvel  only 
grew  with  my  increasing  knowledge  of  the  multifarious 
interests  he  was  constantly  forwarding.  I  do  not 
know  that  I  ever  made  a  suggestion  of  any  importance 
to  him  that  he  had  not  already  thought  of.  In  all  my 
desires  for  enlargement  I  found  that  he  had  invariably 
gone  before  me,  and  when  it  came  to  carrying  out  the 
suggestion  it  was  always  done  in  a  way  so  much  larger 
than  I  had  even  hoped,  that  in  this  respect  my  rec- 
ollection of  him  is,  as  it  were,  of  an  unbroken  series 
of  surprises,  which  culminated  as  I  saw  Bethlehem 
Church  taking  form  and  realized  how  completely  he 
had  arranged  for  every  possible  use  to  which  it  might 
be  put.  Many  a  call,  intended  on  my  part  not  to 
overrun  three  minutes,  has  been  lengthened  into  hours 
of  consultation  with  regard  to  the  interests  of  the 
work,  when  I  knew  that  work  late  into  the  night  would 
have  to  compensate  for  the  time  he  was  so  cheerfully 
giving  to  me.  And  a  word  dropped  now  and  then 
in  these  conversations  showed  clearly  that  if  he  had 
been  talking  with  some  one  else,  he  would  have  shown 


194  A  Christian  Business  Man, 

the  same  enthusiasm  in  any  one  of  twenty  or  more 
objects  that  lay  near  his  heart. 

Another  characteristic  of  Deacon  Gates  was  his 
apparently  entire  independence  of  visible  outward  en- 
couragement. Not  that  he  did  not  see  encouraging 
signs.  No  one  saw  them  more  clearly,  or  knew  better 
how  to  use  them  than  he  did  ;  but  it  was  perfectly 
evident  that  his  courage  and  enthusiasm  were  not 
derived  from  them.  If  any  one  at  any  time  had 
reason  to  lose  heart  in  an  enterprise,  that  person  was 
Deacon  Gates,  and  that  time  the  early  history  of 
the  Bohemian  work.  This  is  not  the  place  to  tell  of 
discouragements,  which,  until  I  knew  him,  I  supposed 
must  dampen  his  ardor ;  there  were  plenty  of  them, 
but  none  of  them  ever  turned  him  aside  a  hair's 
breadth  from  his  purpose.  Indeed  it  was  clear  to  me 
at  the  time,  and  has  been  made  clearer  since,  that 
in  addition  to  all  his  other  burdens  he  took  upon 
himself  and  carried  this  one  of  concealing  from  us, 
who  were  directly  in  the  work,  everything  which  might 
tend  to  our  discouragement.  He  always  made  as 
much  as  possible  of  favorable  signs,  and  as  little  as 
possible  of  the  opposite.  He  had  entered  upon  the 
work  after  much  prayer,  and  not  until  possessed  by  the 
conviction  that  God  had  called  him  to  it,  and  he  never 
seemed  to  doubt  that  God  would  carry  him  through. 

Another  characteristic  was  the  completeness  with 
which  he  could  enter  into  the  feelings  and  experiences 
of  the  Bohemian  people,  with  whom  he  was  previously 
wholly  unacquainted.  The  various  temptations  which 
beset  them  because  of  their  previous  and  present  sur- 
roundings he  instinctively  appreciated.  All  the  spirit- 
ually benumbing  influences  of  a  dead  state  church,  all 


A  Life  Worth  Living.  195 

the  blighting  results  of  a  formal  acceptance  of  Chris- 
tianity which  works  no  change  in  the  life,  all  the 
depressing  and  degrading  influences  of  a  church  with- 
out Christ  and  of  a  government  regardless  of  the  real 
interests  of  the  people,  seemed  to  be  as  familiar  to  him 
as  if  he  had  made  a  special  study  of  them  on  the 
very  ground  where  they  exist.  Resulting  from  this 
was  his  wonderful  patience  with  them,  even  in  matters 
where  he  feared  danger  to  the  dearest  interests  of  our 
country  and  her  Christian  institutions.  The  bitter 
hatred  of  the  Bible  and  Christianity  on  the  part  of 
freethinkers  among  them  he  could  overlook,  because 
he  realized  how  utterly  ignorant  they  were  of  that 
which  they  opposed. 

Deacon  Gates  knew  what  real  success  in  Bohemian 
work  as  well  as  in  all  other  Christian  work  involves. 
He  saw  clearly  that  the  radical  change  in  character 
which  Christianity  demands  and,  if  genuine,  produces 
cannot  be  brought  about  in  an  instant.  He  cared  not 
for  fruit  which  was  not  genuine  and  which  would  not 
stand  the  test  of  God's  Word.  He  knew  the  power 
of  the  gospel  in  his  own  life,  and  he  dreaded  most 
of  all  to  have  any  one  imagine  that  he  is  a  child  of 
God  until  he  has  with  all  the  force  of  his  character 
entered  the  narrow  way  that  leads  directly  to  the 
throne  of  God.  He  knew,  what  we  all  say  and  think 
we  believe,  that  one  soul  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God 
is  mightier  than  an  army  of  halfway  Christians. 
And  this  was  his  ideal  for  the  Bohemian  people.  His 
hope  for  the  new  Bethlehem  Church  was  not  chiefly 
to  have  it  call  forth  the  approval  of  the  Bohemian 
people,  or  that  it  should  serve  merely  as  a  place  of 
entertainment,  though  both  of  these  objects   seemed 


196  A  Christian  Business  Man. 

to  him  worthy  as  a  means  to  something  better.  His 
real  wisli,  as  it  came  out  in  his  prayers  and  in  all  his 
conversations,  was  that  it  should  be  a  center  of  Chris- 
tian power-  for  Bohemians  in  this  city  and,  to  some 
extent,  in  all  this  laud,  and  thus  become  the  means 
for  carrying  the  pure  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
to  the  widely-extended  Slavic  races,  who  occupy  so 
large  a  portion  of  eastern  Europe  as  well  as  of  west- 
ern Asia.  He  looked  forward  with  the  fondest  antici- 
pation to  see  the  Bohemian  people  take  up  the  work 
which  John  Huss  was  forced  to  lay  down,  and  do  for 
their  own  and  sister  races  that  work  for  Christ  of 
which  he  believed  them  capable.  It  was  this  deep- 
seated  longing  that  made  him  say  more  than  once  : 
"If  I  were  a  younger  man,  I  would  plant  myself  in 
their  midst,  and  thus  let  the  whole  of  my  influence 
tell  upon  them." 

This  leads  me  to  mention  the  one  characteristic  of 
Deacon  Gates  which  manifested  itself  in  the  Bohe- 
mian work  as  well  as  in  all  his  other  work,  and  which 
gathers  up  into  itself  all  the  rest.  He  was  a  conse- 
crated Christian  man.  He  had  given  himself  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  had  not  the  slightest  desire  to 
recall  the  offering  he  had  made.  This  offering  carried 
with  it  his  whole  being;  and  when,  in  the  providence 
of  God,  it  came  to  him  to  take  up  the  burden  of  the 
Bohemian  work,  in  addition  to  all  the  other  burdens 
he  was  carrying,  he  bowed  himself  to  allow  his  Mas- 
ter to  place  that  burden  just  where  he  would,  then 
arose  and  went  on  his  way  cheerfully,  gladly,  happy 
himself  and  making  all  around  him  happy  and  enthu- 
siastic by  the  contagion  of  his  own  God-given  enthu- 
siasm and  Christian   joy.     Unless   I   utterly  misread 


A  Life  Worth  Living.  197 

him,  it  was  his  highest  joy  to  serve  Him  who  had  died 
for  his  salvation.  He  loved  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Nothing  would  touch  him  more  keenly,  or  bring  a  tear 
to  his  eye  more  quickly  than  the  thought  that  some 
one  was  dishonoring  that  name  which  was  to  him,  in 
the  fullest  sense,  above  every  other  name.  He  loved 
the  Church  because  it  is  Christ's  Church  ;  he  loved 
men  because  Christ  died  for  them,  and  he  loved  the 
Bohemian  work  because  he  saw  in  it  a  means  of 
serving  Christ. 

His  love  for  Christ  was  so  strong  that  he  could  for- 
get himself.  As  I  look  back  upon  the  time  spent 
with  him,  I  am  astonished  to  see  how  little  he  ever 
told  me  of  his  own  personal  history  —  practically  no- 
thing, except  as  it  would  illustrate  some  plan  of  work, 
or  suggest  some  method  of  dealing  with  a  soul  that 
needed  help.  This  personal  history,  as  I  have  read 
it  since  his  death,  was  one  of  which  any  man  might 
be  proud,  and  which  not  a  few  men  would  have  often 
repeated.  He  had  no  time  for  this.  The  most  im- 
portant things  must  be  talked  about  first,  and  in  his 
conversations  with  me  that  meant  the  things  which 
would  help  bring  the  gospel,  with  all  its  power  to  lift 
up  and  save,  into  contact  with  the  lives  and  hearts 
of  the  Bohemian  people.  During  the  six  years  and 
a  half  of  my  acquaintance  with  him  I  do  not  know 
of  a  single  instance  when  he  failed  to  be  at  our  Sun- 
day-school, five  miles  away  from  his  home,  unless  he 
was  out  of  the  city  or  physically  unable  to  be  present. 
And  he  was  never  absent  that  we  did  not  speak  of  it 
and  feel  a  deep  sense  of  loss.  He  loved  the  children 
and  they  all  loved  him.  At  our  picnics  he  was  as 
young  as  the  youngest,  entering  into  all  their  sports 


198  A  Christian  Busiriess  Man. 

with  the  zest  of  a  boy.  The  first  question  of  the 
older  boys  and  girls  when  talking  of  an  entertainment 
was:  "Will  Mr.  Gates  be  there?"  No  cheers  were 
so  hearty  as  those  they  gave  for  him  when,  at  the 
close  of  some  picnic,  they  were  reminded  that  he  had 
provided  it  all. 

His  love  for  Christ,  his  purpose  to  elevate  and 
dignify  the  life  of  the  people,  and  the  love  with 
which  he  loved  them  are  built  into  an  enduring 
monument  in  Bethlehem  Church.  He  devoted  to  this 
building  his  time,  his  money,  and  all  the  powers  of 
his  fertile  mind.  There  is  hardly  a  stone,  hardly 
a  brick  or  a  board  that  he  did  not  know  and 
about  whose  location  he  had  not  thought.  This 
church  has  called  forth  the  highest  encomiums  from 
Bohemians,  and  the  more  it  is  used  the  more  evi- 
dent becomes  its  almost  perfect  adaptation  to  its 
woik. 

But  to  think  of  Deacon  Gates  as  having  closed  his 
connection  with  the  Bohemian  work  when  he  cast  aside 
the  veil  of  flesh  and  entered  upon  his  heavenly  inher- 
itance is  wholly  to  misapprehend  the  truth.  We  know 
that  his  works  do  follow  him,  and  should  know  it  if 
it  were  not  written  in  the  Book.  We  meet  him  now 
as  we  go  among  the  people  whom  he  loved  so  much. 
There  are  boys  and  girls,  and  adults  as  well,  whose 
conception  of  what  is  best  in  human  life  is  derived 
from  their  knowledge  of  Deacon  Gates.  The  mother 
who  carried  her  infant  on  that  summer  day  from  Ran- 
dolph Street  to  the  New  England  Church  in  order  to 
be  present  at  his  funeral  will  tell  that  child  in  after 
years  the  story  of  his  life,  and  the  child's  life  will 
be  enriched  thereby.     His  Sunday-school  class,  whose 


A  Life  Worth  Living.  199 

loving  hands  draped  his  chair  and  kept  it  draped  for 
six  weeks,  because  they  could  not  bear  to  have  it 
removed,  will  carry  to  their  dying  day,  yea,  we  trust 
to  the  very  throne  of  God,  the  impress  stamped 
upon  their  hearts  by  his  consecrated  life.  And  the 
boys,  who,  in  their  debates,  use  him  as  a  sufficient 
proof  that  wealth  and  genuine  Christianity  are  not 
necessarily  hostile  to  each  other,  will  be  wholly  differ- 
ent men  from  what  they  would  have  been  had  they 
not  been  acquainted  with  him.  But  more  than  this : 
not  only  will  his  memory  continue  —  he  himself  con- 
tinues here  among  us.  Those  streets  made  sacred 
by  his  tread  in  days  gone  by  are  to  be  trodden  in  days 
to  come  by  those  whom  he  started  on  their  errands 
of  love.  That  soul  who  loved  the  Bohemians  so  ten- 
derly in  days  gone  by  has  not  ceased  to  love  them 
now.  And  that  love  which  never  dies  will  continue 
its  blessed  ministry  in  all  the  years  between  this  and 
the  final  consummation.  Yes  ;  and  his  own  mantle 
shall  fall  not  on  one  only,  or  two  or  three  of  those 
who  knew  and  honored  him  in  this  city  of  Chicago, 
but  many  will  be  raised  up  and  the  work  which  he 
seemed  to  drop  will  be  taken  up  with  fresh  vigor  and 
renewed  consecration,  so  that  not  only  Bohemians, 
but  all  the  nations  who  are  knocking  at  our  doors 
shall  receive  that  which  many  of  them  do  not  seek, 
for  which  most  of  them  care  so  little,  even  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  this  land  shall  become  in  reality 
as  well  as  in  name  that  blessed  land  whose  God  is 
the  Lord. 

Yesterday  I  heard  the  little  children,  whose  voices 
he  so  much  loved  to  hear,  singing  this  verse  from 
Sears'  beautiful  Christmas  hymn,  — • 


200  A  Christian  Business  Man, 

For  lo,  the  days  are  hastening  on 

By  prophet  bards  foretold, 
When,  with  the  ever-circling  years, 

Comes  round  the  age  of  gold. 
When  peace  shall  over  all  the  world 

Its  ancient  splendors  fling, 
And  the  whole  earth  send  back  the  song 

Which  now  the  angels  sing. 

And  I  said  to  myself,  If  all,  according  to  their 
opportunity  and  ability,  would  do  as  much  toward 
ushering  in  that  blessed  day  as  Deacon  Gates  did, 
the  world  would  not  wait  very  long  for  the  glory  of 
its  dawning. 


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